Sacramento daily record-union. [volume] (Sacramento [Calif.]) 1875-1891, 1881-04-16
AGRICULTURAL.
MATTER PREPARED SPECIALLY FOR
THE RECORD UNION"
rns yarn Belts of the Foothills-What
Causes Them ?-The vine-Hop-
per-River Orchards

causes Them ?-Fhe Vine-Hop-
per-River orchards-E.c
That there is a certain altitude on the sides
of tbe mountain ranges of California at
which the temperature of the atmosphere is
more uniform as between day and night than
at attitudes above and below, is generally
well.kBovn fact. The section of country
coming under the influence of this even tenn
peraturs has, by common consent, been
termed the warm belt of the foothills. From
this bslt we obtain our earliest fruits and
vegetables, and within this belt tropical
trees and plants are seldom injured by frost,
ard early blooming fruits are scarcely ever
nipped in the bud by cold snaps of weather.
These warm belts are found along the foot
hills Of the Sierra Nevada and Coast ranges,
from the extreme northern to the southern
border Of the State, but the attitudes
Of the belts vary in different localities,
sometimes ascending well up on the mountain
sides, and sometimes descending to the lower
foothills. Sometimes the warm belts seem
to rest on steep declivities, and sometimes on
level plateaus extending along the mountains
parallel With the valleys below. Lands en-
braced in these thermal or warm belts have
a peculiar advantage for fruit and vegetable
culture over lands not coming within the
range of this climatic popularity, and this
advantage often adds TO these lands a money
value Of so per cent. over adjoining lands not
embraced within the naturally favored belts
These facts give the question, what causes
these warm belts Of the foothills? good deal
of interest not only to scientific but to prac-
teal men, who may be looking for locations
for orchards, vineyards and farms for general
culture in the foothills. For the benefit of
this latter class we will endeavor to answer
Che question. and to give a rule by which the
warm belts may be found by an examination
of the formation or general outline OF the
country. To the first place we will suppose
that the atmosphere of the whole inland val
leys Of California reaching to the submits of
the Sierra Nevadas and coast ranges of
mountains on either side was of an even tenn
peratuge. and that for the tine being there
was no influence TO cause a change OF that
temperature in one locality more than in an
other. This condition of things, it is evident,
would cause dead calm throughout the
entire great basin of the State, even to its
surrounding rims-bhe tops of the mountain
ranges. The moisture contained in the air
being heavier than the air itself, would settle
in the lowest places, and the atmosphere OF
the deep OF low valleys would become laden
with water, while that of the surrounding
hills and mountains would be dry and clear.
Let the sun now send its warm rays down
through this dry and moist atmosphere
upon mountain and valley. The atmos-
phere Of the valley would begin gradually
than that of the foothills and mountains
above. The equilibrium before existing
would be destroyed and the heated air of the
valley would rise, and expanding as it as
cended, float along up the surface Of the hills
and mountains, while the cool air of the
mountains would run down the ra-
vines and gulches, following the low
est and most direct channels to the
valley below. Following the channels made
by waters, this cold air would pass by or
around all projections and elevations, leaving
them untouched by its chilling influence,
while the warm air rising from the valley
below would battle the outer sides of these
projections and elevations with its heated
vapor, thus keeping the temperature OF these
elevated places on Che mountain sides very
nearly the same day and night. The next
day the same changes would follow. The
valley would become warmer than the sur
rounding hills and mountains, and rs the sun
sank towards the western horizon the heated
air from the valley would again rise. floating
along the outer or valley sides of the elevated
spots, and bathing them in its moist
but warm atmosphere, while the
cold air of the high mountains
would again run down the gulleys and gulches,
the natural water course to the valley below.
Such is the actual daily operations of nature.
During each day the valleys become heated,
and during each night the cold air of the
mountain changes places with the warm air
Of the valley. II It's way down the noun
tain SIDES it is controlled by the same laws
and follows the same demands that water
would in It's descent from the same elevation.
II this descending air be surcharged with
frost $50 to speak, as it is in the autumn and
sprins all vegetation that il touches on its
downward flow is affected by its freezing in
fcsnoe, bac az 1t passes around the elevated
projections and plateaus, the vegetation grow
Ing OF these places do not feel its chilling in
fG4uces but on the other hand the heated
air from the valley rests upon and invig0rates
this vegetation, and thus it revels III the
warm belts of the foothills and comes
to maturity from two TO three weeks earlier
j. The spring, and escapes frost two or three
EECAh lcUGE III LilG ld4i. IO uiuSsIdto tI6
case more fully, let us state that if the sides
of the mountains on either side of the valley
were a smooth plane, with a uniform decline
toward the valley, there would be no warm
belt, for the very plain reason that the cold
air would flow down this smooth decline with
q uniform depth, and would expose every rod
and every acre Of its surface to the same de-
gree of temperature, and the warm air from
the valley would be, unable to find lodg'
melt at any one point more than another.
The changes of the atmosphere of the valleys
would, under such circumstances, be more
rapid and greater In extreme between day
aud night, and the foothills would be
OF no value for cultivation on account Of
the rapid currents of cold air that would
sweep down them each afternoon and evening
as the sun was sinking towards aud below
the western horizon. Thus we have en-
deavored TO answer the question, what
causes the warm belts Of the foot hills, and to
those who have understood our reasoning, 1t
viii no. be difficult matter to select these
warm spots by their formation and exposure
to the falling cold air OR TO the rising warm
air during each night. OF course, there are
general esuses-as prevailing winds from the
SEQ and other causes - that will in
fuencs the changes Of air aid affect the
degree Of exposure to cold and heat we have
pointed out. Before leaving this sub
ject we wish to call attention to the
fact that what are popularity called
waim belts are not in fact belts at all, but
that they are simply spots or areas of sur
face which assume form and extent according
to the formation of the country that they
grow out OF the broken character of the
mountain sides, rather than in consequence
of It's elevation above the valley below.
Localoauses influencing general laws cause
these, and these local causes being under
stood, the localities influenced may be easily
discovered and taken advantage Of