2 JOURNAL OF THE ROYAL HORTICULTURAL SOCIETY. 



western coast line from North-eastern Russia, across Behring 

 Strait, their researches have not been satisfactory. On the 

 other hand, ethnological evidences everywhere prevail in the 

 south. Ruins, races, customs, civilisation, and religion all point 

 to the habitation of California by the Spanish. It was not 

 until April 11, 1769, that the first white settlers arrived and 

 settled in San Diego, California. On July 16 of the same year 

 some Franciscan friars, under Father Junipero Serra, founded 

 a mission at that place. 



Between this date and 1823 no less than twenty-one missions 

 were founded in various portions of the State, and with them 

 came the first European civilisation. Events followed rapidly 

 from this date. From a grazing, pastoral country, the discovery 

 of gold, in 1847, led to immediate and unprecedented immigra- 

 tion, until in 1850, the State of California was formally admitted 

 to the Union. Its rapid strides since that period are too well 

 known to need mention here. Cities and towns abound ; pro- 

 sperity reigns ; our future looks bright beyond compare. The 

 county which deals more particularly with our subject is that of 

 11 Santa Clara," the county which has been termed the land of 

 " Sunshine, Fruit, and Flowers." 



Santa Clara is situated in one of the most delightfully 

 attractive districts of the State. (Fig. 1.) An arm of San 

 Francisco Bay and Alameda County bound it on the north ; 

 Stanislaus and Merced Counties on the east ; San Benito 

 County on the south-east ; while to the south-west and west lie 

 Santa Cruz and San Mateo Counties. Just inland enough to 

 soften any possible ocean winds that may prevail, being separated 

 from the ocean by the Santa Cruz or " coast range " of moun- 

 tains on the west, the north breeze from the bay renders the 

 warmest days of summer unoppressive, the mercury rarely rising 

 above 90 degrees, and hardly ever falling below 35 degrees, 

 with a mean temperature of about 60 degrees Fahrenheit. It 

 contains in round numbers 1,000,000 acres of land, of which 

 about 250,000 acres lie in the valley, some 300,000 acres in 

 rolling hills and slopes, the remainder being mountains, some 

 rough and wooded, some full of springs and running streams, 

 and abounding in many kinds of game and mountain trout. Of 

 our climate, temperature, soils, products, <fcc, full information 

 will be found under their respective heads elsewhere. Suffice it 



