, 1870-07-19
NOTES 0Al0WER CALIFORNIA
The Climate AMI Soil.
Cultivation Of the Gfapt, 0rsnsel, Lem.
ons, LINES CitronA Walnuth
and Fiss-Ths Alphal.
tum Fields.
Breaking Wild HOrse4.

fsr Eox. J. D. cArox,]
1rise you word Of this southern section
Of Calfornia. We left San Francisco on q
Monday morning, In tho steamer Oriz.bA and
On 1hursday morning, after very smooth
passage, entered tho Bay Of San Diego. This
ia very fpe hatbor, two nailes vide aud
twenty miles long. entirely land-locked Il
HIS no agricultural country to support city.
The season has been very dzy, and tie county
s ~ a11d and bAr1en ~ IT VIE about
Salt Lake, with no facilities for irrigation.
In net seasons something may be grown in
the valleys, but the ag1icultu1ist or tho ers-
xier cannot depend upon it.
Indeed, from the northern line Of the State
to the southern tho min fall dluinishes by q
regular g1aaAtion, 30 that Ut Los Angeles, 100
miles north of the southern boundary, tho hu-
nidity IL much Less than fu1thsr north. In
1868 and "a Don Able lthey accent the List
HyuableI OF Mr. Able Storms lost 45, 600 head
OF cattle. This year again It is unusually dv,
but there VIII probably bs grass enough to
sustsiu the limited remnant OF stock now lare.
We left San Diego the next Ftiday,
and at Daylight the next morning
were ut anchor 1T SIN Pad.o.
Here we got into little steamer, which took
u up sort of lagoon, separated by sand
bar from the bay, six miles to Wilmington,
Whefe, At . clock H. m, wo took rail for Los
Angeles, twenty milcs inland, where We IT
rved in ono hour. Tho road runs along the
easterly side OF level prairio, which may be-
stated ~ twenty oiles square, surrounded
BY ehar1 kills, rome Of which Are hundred
NNf fa1
na1roW valleys, among which the roads Of the
country Tend their WY; These hills are ali
fertile, and eEen in this dry season Am coI.
cred with grass, and arc dotted over viii,
HheeP. cattle and hoEsea-
IN L.ke san Mcgo, this has evidently been
filed up BY tho wash from tue mountains.
The deepest botinGs have failed to Hnd rock
At either place, although flowing wells are
found in this plaiu at = depth Of about 100
feet For 70 or 90 feet thoy pass through
Sfasei snd dflft md then heayf stratum OF
la reached. from which the water flows m
with considerable force. These wells arc o.
ten ehnked up and destroyed by this quick
sand. though some seem to be permanent.
Facilities for irrigation are deemed indis-
renaab!e In most places for cultivation, e1-
soil md climate seem ram remarkably iv
adapted. Indeed this may be said to be The
home Of the 9rape. Scarcely any effort has
been made to introduce new ya1ietiea from
which much may be expected, The old Nis-
SION grape IL almost the only variety cultiysted
though The Few experiments which have been
made With other varieties have met with fat
tef1ng success. Tle grippe here u cultivated
low. as u Southern Ftance, which ia jusutled
By tho mildness of the climate. They nrs rnt
back when young to within one 10 two faot of
the ground, and tken the new csnet cut l,ck
eXefy year close OF very near to the old wood,
so~ Sfi "''" Il; IN IN, &c t;l'" oi ii9''f Up
they attain height Of from two to three foet.
and diameter Of from three to six inches'
Ihoy are set about one Thousand to the arra.
and when properly cultivated are very prolifjc'
lhey ata SUBJECT 10 10 diaease, ire pteyed
upon by no insect and never fall Of an a{,nni3-
ant crop. They are mtde into wine, which Ia
cent to San Francisco in pipes, where It IA mr.
chased and rehaud1cd BY parties engaged in
the business. But few OF the producers arc
able to bold thciz stock till it has sufficient age
to bottle: Tho under drainage il complete. 4
larEe and succeesful cultiv.tor, in describing
to me the soil this morning, stated that at e
great depth everything was cobblo stone, from
which toward tho surface the material i,
found finer and finer, till at the snrface a
hGe grasel IL found intermi1ed with sufficient
vegetable matter 10 make it verv productive.
me orange, too, here finds its favoei.e soil
*A4tA4I45A ~ Nek 3ka CulEOfH Ii
limited, II is attended with remarkable success.
San Gabriel Mission is situated In beautiful
valley ten miles wide. and is eight miles west
OF Los Angeles, and IL separated from This
valley by range Of bills, ~ before described.
That Eallss u bounded on the north
the enQT. still shows itself. This mission
Was established in 1863, and there the first
orange orchard was planted, and for lonr
umc1 1t Was the only one. I havo selected
oranges from it measuring twelve inches In
c!renm1etence, and = large proper
ton Tll measure ninc inches. 1hay a1e ve,y
sweet, 1uicE, md tender, fU surprising any I
hare ever tasted fron the trees in E1snco.
ltaly, or Sicily. There arc now other orchards
in the same valley, in full bearing, equally
good, but it ie only just now that offensive
orange orchards arc baing planted There are
many tine orange o1charae about this place,
hardly detect tho difference, t eeens to ne
1...ere can be nc. more beautiful sight
than IN u,aSSsse orchard, Obaeryed from
higher altitude, half 4 mile OF, eyery limb
bowiug down under its golden burden, swayed
about bJ the breeze, il e3cit.s An exclamation
Of delight when 61at beheld, aud Involuntary
We ind onrselFes urging the lorses to quicker
race rs the mouth waters to go. among them.
was told By Nj. Rose, who hss magpi6cent
place, with orchards and vineyards in tho same
sweet vale, that the orange in absolute per.
fection 10 only found in limited district eix
miles long and one broad Others claim that
they car be grown aa well in other places.
However this may be in regard to the orange
there is hardly limit to the choicest Eapo
gtonnds It does seem that we here find com
h,ned all the elements Of soil and climate for
the highest perfectlon OF tho grape.
We visited the ssphsitum deposit, sir niles
from Los Angeles, and found it Of much inter-
est. 1t Is situated in valley northeast OF los
Angeles, and is detached from Thu 1t The vest
bE the Green Ellis, but opens into tho Los An
selea Valley 1t the east: Tho AsphAtun dis
ttaet is several mice IN extent. There arc
hundreds Of tar springs, - they are called,
Eeneislly IN the plain. but sometimes 1t con-
siderable .:n eles.ttons u tho 1ssinee anong tho
under the influence Of the sun. the lar hard
cnr, and large mounds are formed, till finally
the c1eFlce through which it has escaped
closes, and it breaks out in new plzcs.
The springs presents liquid surfaces Of sev-
81 1ees square frequently. but of only few
email creyice. Voc to the bind, rabbit, or
squirrel whose foot touches this tenacious
mass Many OF these animals and even dogs
we're observed in these springs,
The aephaltun, in \ congoaled state, found
IN large beds; where i lie quatried out like sur
coal AL the old buildings here are one-stov,
Of adobe walls, with fat roofa covered with
thismatenl sometimes gzayeled and soupetiues
not: Sidewalks in Los Angeles a1e mat with
made Of it. and it is used exclusively at the
city eas-Works. It makes good fuel when
that it Inclts down and covers tho crates when
used alone. 80 that they haul wood twenty
miles to mako steam with when an e1haustIess
suppl. Of this combustib1e material is near At
hand. think this viii not be 20 always.
The asphaltorp taken from near the surface
ia ffT1A6 @ifk II, In Ahrr nrI
procured, and such is thas mostly used 1t the
gas works; but dseper it is found In puzs
state, as have described. Wherever m e1-
csva;icn il made in a bed Of the hard mate
Elal, little openings discharge into It the liquid
naaterial. and all it up in abort tiuio, II A.
lowed to do 10. I an told that it generally
occuts III vertical sea1us, sometimes OF great
hreadths, and It others very thin, though
heard OF one horizontal seam about two feet
thick, found In digging wall. We regretted
We bad not nore time 10 study this interesting
locality. It must BE- rich deld for the geoio-
gist.
I think l may add something more
Of interest upon tho products Of
this Locality. I learn there are now about sevon
thousand orange tfeea in bearing in this Vi
ctnity. ThsJ yield from si1 hundred to fifteen
hundred oEanges to the tire, depending on its
which commence producing In eight years
from tho reed. An assured bJ the growers
here that the aeedlingn produce fruit true to
the parent, only uodided By the soil and eli
male 1he o.lnge requires good under-drain-
age, md an abundance OF vAtes. So n orange
orchard must be 30 situated that 1t
may bs irrigated throughout tho
dry eeason. The orange harvest commences
in November, before the fruit is fa1ly mA:ured
and hence ia acid, md continues hl1 June OF
even July following. AfteE tho fruit Is tully
ripe it remains on The troe for month. without
tr}r y1<o1
ifestly rper than othe9a- Tina long harvest is
very great advantage to the cultirAtozs Of
this fruit. For good oranges the p1iea il 20
DER 600, whl1e Inferior ones will not bring