FRUIT GROWING IN CALIFORNIA. 



15 



feels chilly and the sky is dark. There is a distant roar in the 

 canon and a white mist in the air. The atmosphere grows 

 darker, and a few scattering drops are heard on the roof, and 

 then comes a soft, gentle shower. No snow with it, of course, 

 no sleet, no wild winds; just a nice warm rain. It may rain 

 until three o'clock in the morning, when it usually ceases until 

 just before daylight, when another shower may be expected. 

 The clouds then commence to clear away, and by ten o'clock the 

 sun is shining, and Nature looks cheerful and refreshed. In the 

 early part of October rain may fall every few days until an inch 

 or more has fallen. Then there will probably be a week or more 

 when the weather will be clear. The sky is of a brighter blue, and 

 the hills have grown darker. If more rain falls the sunny slopes 

 commence to lose their sober russet and take on a vernal hue. 

 Mushrooms break through the sod, and a few wild flowers push 

 up their tiny leaves. 



In November rain usually falls more frequently, and the 

 rainy season is generally established by the latter part of the 

 month. It occasionally happens that it commences late, and 

 but little rain falls previous to the 1st of December. If the season 

 is an average one, about 3*89 in. of rain will have fallen by the 

 end of November. In the meantime the farmer has been ploughing 

 the mellow earth and sowing the golden grain. The orchardist 

 commences to prune his trees, and if the season is an early one, 

 the vineyardist his vines. Rain may fall during a period of two 

 or three days at a time, but there are usually during this month 

 a great many sunshiny days, though they may be ushered in with 

 a slight fog or a darkened sky. Farmers may work in the sun- 

 shine during the greater part of the month, and are seldom 

 inconvenienced by any severe or long-continued rain-storms. 

 Blackberries, raspberries, and a few strawberries are still in the 

 market, and all kinds of vegetables. A few light frosts have 

 occurred along the creek-bottoms and in the lowlands. No snow 

 has fallen, even upon Mount Hamilton, the tallest peak in the 

 county, and upon its crest, 4,250 ft. above the sea, the Lick 

 Observatory's white dome yet frequently reflects the western 

 sun. The rainy season, however, is now fully established. 

 Along in December, however, a little snow will fall on the 

 mountain tops, and the air will be decidedly crisp. If in the 

 night the wind dies down, the warm air will be drawn up the 



