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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 1828 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 
“ 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, &c., full information 
will be found under their respective heads elsewhere. Suffice it 
