AGRICULTURE ON TH^l INDIAN RESERVATION—GRAPES. 
39 
A creek (Tejon creek) issues from the pass and flows down over the broad plain or slope of 
the Tejon. For the first part of its course it flows near the mountains on the southeast side, hut 
then turns and flows across to the northern portion of the valley. Its course is marked by a 
line of trees and shrubbery, while the surrounding surface is perfectly hare and desert-like. 
The point selected for the depot camp was on the border of the creek, about three miles from 
the entrance to the pass, being in the northern or northeast part of the Tejon, as represented on 
the general map. 
The surface of the Tejon slopes gently away from the surrounding mountains, hut the descent 
is so gradual that it appears almost level. 
Soil of the Tejon .—During the summer season the slopes of the Tejon generally present a 
uniform brown or drab color, similar to that of the San Joaquin plains. They look barren and 
desert-like, and the soil seems to he merely ordinary gravel and sand and not suited to vegeta¬ 
tion. On examination, we find that this granular gravel is the debris of granitic rocks, and 
that it contains a large amount of feldspar and mica. It is not rounded and water-worn, hut is 
angular and friable, being chiefly fragments of granite which are rapidly decomposing and form 
a loose hut rich soil, capable of supporting a heavy growth of vegetation and well adapted to 
agriculture. 
This soil, although rich in all the important inorganic constituents, is almost without the 
common vegetable mould that gives the dark color to soils that have long been subjected to 
cultivation. 
This absence of humus is a prominent characteristic of the upland soils of California, and is 
caused by the prolonged drought of the dry season, which destroys the vitality of the roots of 
grasses and other plants, and thus prevents the formation of a sod. 
The portion of the valley in the vicinity of the camp was well timbered, being covered by 
groves of beautiful trees. 
Nearly all of the trees were oak, the same species as those seen in the valleys near Martinez 
and Livermore’s. It is the Quercus macradenia of Dr. Torrey, or Q. Hindsii of Bentham. 
These thick groves of wood and the luxuriant growth of grass, whenever the ground was suffi¬ 
ciently shaded and moist, show the depth and the agricultural capabilities of the soil. 
The cultivation around the Indian rancherias, located in different parts of the valley, also 
exhibited the fertility of the soil. The ground about many of them was well cultivated, water 
being brought from the creek by numerous acequias to irrigate the surface. In these fields, 
corn, barley, and melons were growing luxuriantly, and it was evident that the ground only 
required water to make it productive. 1 
It is probable that grapes could he cultivated in this valley with success. The borders of the 
creek were overgrown in places by thick masses of grapevines, loaded with long and 
heavy clusters of fruit. This grape is deserving of attention, as it is probable that it will he 
found an exceedingly valuable variety for the manufacture of wine. The berry is small and 
round, and much resembles the ordinary “frost grape” of New England; hut it is larger, 
more juicy and rich in flavor, and also has a high color, yielding a juice of a rich claret-color. 
1 While we were at the Tejon, Lieutenant E. F. Beale arrived from the Atlantic States, having been appointed Superin¬ 
tendent of Indian affairs for California. The Tejon was selected by him as the most appropriate place for an Indian Reserva¬ 
tion, and he collected together a great number of Indians, provided them with agricultural implements, and induced them 
to cultivate the soil. A canal, five feet wide and three deep and ten miles in length, was constructed for purposes of 
irrigation. Nineteen hundred (1,900) acres in one field were sown with wheat, and seven hundred Indians were at work 
upon it at one time. Forty, and sometimes fifty, ploughs were employed on this field, and it was found that the ground 
broke readily, being free from roots and rocks or other obstructions. 
