CHAPTER XIY. 
OBSERVATIONS ON THE TULARE VALLEY. 
Desert-like aspect op the tulare plains.—Slopes near the mountains.—The valley distinct from the valley of the san 
joaquin.—Extent of the valley.—Aspect of the coast mountains—Surface and soil of the valley.—Clay soil—Allu- 
' vium.—Miry soil between king’s river and the four creeks.—Gravelly slopes around the mountains—Clay or alluvial 
soil" of the lower part of the valley undermined by burrowing animals.—Fresh-water shells.—Cotton-wood trees.— 
Tule.—Vegetation at the mouths of the rivers.—Quantity of water in the lakes.—Communication with the san joa¬ 
quin.—Saline incrustation.—Former submergence of the valley.— Great rapidity of evaporation.—Experiment to 
determine the amount.—Resemblance between the tulare valley and the valley of the Colorado desert. 
It is difficult to conceive of the great extent and desert-like character of the Tulare Valley 
without having travelled for days over its surface, beyond the sight of trees or green grass. It 
appears to he almost a perfect plain, hut slopes gently away from its bordering mountain ranges, 
the descent becoming more gradual and imperceptible as the distance from the mountains is 
increased. Although this valley is a portion of the great longitudinal valley of California, 
occupied by the San Joaquin and the Sacramento rivers, it is, in a measure, isolated from the 
latter, and has its own system of streams and lakes that do not, at all times, communicate 
with the San Joaquin. YYe may, therefore, regard and describe it as a basin-shaped depres¬ 
sion, distinct and separate from the Valley of the San Joaquin, although, in respect to the 
general relief of the surface, it is merely a continuation of it. The San Joaquin, when it 
descends the slope from the mountains, bends to the north until it meets the water of the 
Sacramento, but the rivers south of the San Joaquin, and which, like it, rise in the Sierra 
Nevada, turn southward, and are not its tributaries. The slightly elevated ground between 
the San Joaquin and the lower surface southward may, then, be regarded as the northern 
boundary or margin of the Tulare Valley. Its length from the San Joaquin .River (latitude 37°) 
on the north, to the high range of the Tejon Mountains on the south, is about 150 miles. Its 
breadth, or the distance between the Sierra and the Coast Mountains near latitude 37°, is about 
70 miles. Towards the south it becomes narrower, but may be said to have an average breadth 
of 50 miles. Its area is thus about 7,500 square miles. 
When standing on the eastern side of the valley, near the hills at the base of the Sierra 
Nevada, the Coast Mountains are just perceptible in the distance; but the distinctness with 
which they can be seen varies greatly with the purity of the air. They have a barren aspect, 
and do not appear to have any verdure. 
Surface and soil of the Valley. —South of the banks of the San Joaquin the character of the 
soil changes from the loose, gravelly, granitic debris, and becomes more compact and argilla¬ 
ceous. This change is most apparent at King’s River, where the character of the substratum of 
the plain is visible in the banks of the stream. A large amount of clay enters into its composi¬ 
tion, and it has a decidedly alluvial appearance, being much finer and more argillaceous than 
the banks of the streams that enter the San Joaquin. 
Between King’s River and the Four Creeks the soil consists almost wholly of clay, and its 
