Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1869-09-27
WASHINGTON TO the PACIFIC.
the xlllEYs or CALIFORNIA.
Editorial Correspondenos Of The Star.
SAN FRAHCIsCo, August H., 1859

tEditoviai Correspondeaos Of The STAR.
SAN FRAHCIsCo, August IL. 1869.
To treat Rpen California without some aliu.
sion to its valley system would, indeed, be the
play Of Hamlet with the part Of the Prince o.
Denmark omitted; and the leading valleys o.
the State so radiate from SIN Francisco, ol
rather from the Bay Of San Francisco, that The
visitsr can readily familiarize himself with
their most Interesting features by brief trips
per railroad and steamer, eked oat in some in
stances BY the Concord coach or the saddle.
horse. The trip to the Yo Semitic gives one a
good general idee OF the San Joaquin Valley
which, with the Sacramento Valley, form the
great interior basin Of the State. In entering
the state and in gcing out the traveller has an
opportunity to see considerable portion OF the
latter svailey. Both these great valleys from
the large amount of tule marsh Immediately
bordering on the rivers, and the fiat land but a
few feet above the level OF the water else where
in them, have q certain air Of fiatness and
sameness. These valleys, which contain nearly
five.eighths Of all the level land In the State
are, from their form alton, peculiarly liable to
Overflow daring rainy seasons, and Sacramento
City IN the one, and Stockton in the other, have
suffered SO frequently by inundations that the
whole surface Of the ground in them is being
raised, Chicago fashion, &c put them above high
water.
The Great Interior Basin.
The Sacramento Valley Ia the most interes. /.
ing OF the two, though both may be said to be
really one valley. The San Joaquin, for one
thing, has little timber, and ITS nat, monoto-
nous character continues to itG sources. Stock.
ton, the principal city upon the river and In
this part Of the State, shows signs of thrift and
growth, and as the shipping point OF q large
agrieultural and mining rekion, must become
q place Of considerable importance 1t has
now perhaps 5000 Inhabitants. When the
hundreds Of thousands Of acres of tule marsh
ON the San Joaquin and Sacramento rivers are
reclaimed, they will not only add greatly to
the wealth OF these dista lets, as they make the
richest lands In the State, and have the ad.
vantage OF never suffering from droutb. bu,
the appearance Of these river valleys will b !,
greatly improved. Now no hing can well be
conceived more tiresome and unattractive than
the tedious winding course per steamer through
this dense growth of rushes.
The Sacramento Valley.
The trip by land up the Sacramento, ow.
ever, is not SO tame. The pleasantly. situated
and flourishing t,wn OF Vallejo, fVal.la.ho.)
which General FrIsbie and other enterprising
Vallahans expect to make the commercial ri.
val OF San Francisco, because 1t Is on the right
side OF the bay, and hasn't the marine worm.
is worth visiting, both on its own account and
on account of the Mare Island Navy Yard op.
posite. Admiral Farragut makes his home at
NalieJo, and has recently purchased consider
able real estate here.
a Rich County.
Suisun City, in this same rich county of
Solano, and 81 miles by steamboat from San
Francisco Is the seat Of q flourishlng grain
trade, and has an element of great business
activity In the numssr OF Nov Ea~nand man
settled here Solano county ranks among the
most populous and best asricuItu.
raj counties in the State, and, next to Santa
Clara county, has the most land under cultiva.
ton and grows the most wheat. Some pleasant
drives over the rolling prsiries, through the
fertile valleys, and among the vineyards that
cover the rounded hills OF Solano county,
afforded me an opportunity Of seeing agricul.
tural California in its most attractive aspect
The soil OF this county is q rich clay loan,
deep and very productive In the valleys, and
sufficiently rich on the top OF the hig hest hills
TO af6d Tine natural pasturage, summer and
winter.
Vine Growing in Soiane County.
The hill.land is found, however, to be 90
much more valuable than the valleys for the
cultivation OF the grape, that the bright green
OF the vine is rapidly supplantlng the rich vel.
low Of the wild oats. visited vineyard, of
thirty-fve acres, on one Of these hills, owned
by German, who came here penniless from
Missouri q few years ago, took up this ground
as Government land, and u new in very pros
perous circumstances, II not wealthy. On en-.
tering his wine cellar we found him inside of
one OF the enormous wine casks used here.
cleaning II, his industrious wife assisting hun
fvNyv thA
the wonder was how he ever Got in throuen
the small square aperture in the side OF the
cask, but he presently emerged. in answer to
the call of my friend, getting out very readily,
despite his broad shoulders, and showing that
it is possible for man to get through q very
small hole. 1t was formerly supposed that
the vine stood drought best upon the low land
IN California, and II was not until recently that
Il was cultivated upon the hills, unless where
there was chance 70 irrigate during the rain.
less season. Now it is found that not only does
the vine thrive on these steep hills without be-
ing watered at all, but that the flavor Of the
wine is better than when the vines are watered.
When trained to depend upon itself the vine
strikes its tap root deep down TO the point OF
moisture. The vine on these hills is not snb-
Ject TO mildew, aud the soil seems to be lust
what Is needed, without the aid OF particle of
manure The vine bears in California in the
second year, and begins to be profitable in the
third year. The grape is noted, like all the
other fruits in this dry climate, for its perfec.
lion and its uniform ripening such a thing as
rotted or unripe berries on the bunch being al.
most unknown.
Sacramento, and Sacramento County.
Sacramento, in the county Of the same name.
on the other side OF the river from Solano
county, has now about eighteen thousand in.
habitants, and with increasing railroad busi-
nsss and its growing trade, as the centre of q
rich agricultural region, seems to have an
assured future. 1t Is not a handsome city, by
any means, but undoubtedly better class of
buildings will take the place Of the present
commonplace structures, now that the grade
has been raised, and broad levees made to pro.
tect IL from the inundGrlons % which it has
been heretofore liable. This q icra mento)
county il almost dead level; but proceeding
up the river, ths copnties bordering upon it
(the rtver) are more diversified in surface.
Sutter county, which gets its name from Gene.
raj John 4. Sutter, OF pionesr fame, and whose
name 10 identifled with the nrst discovery Of
golA In ths Seats. - sns Of he most ssstiIs aad
highly cultivated counties In the State "Hock
Farm" on Feather River. in this county, is -
remnant len 70 General sut,sr, BY rsvsrses OF