Sacramento daily record-union. [volume] (Sacramento [Calif.]) 1875-1891, 1888-03-31
THE COUNTY OF TULARE.
Its Area and Location-Sireams, Timber
Soil and Climate

Its Area and Location-Sireams, Timber,
Soil and Climate.
The State of California has two nearly
parallel chains of mountains, one near the
eastern and the other near the western
border, extending throughout its whole
length. They join near their extrimeties
by spurs and cross chains, and inclose a
broad and low oval valley nearly 400 miles
long and seventy miles wide
This immense area is drained by the
Sacramento river from the north and the
San JOAQUIN from the south, and comprises
the great valley region of California.
Near the extreme southern portion of this
vast oval is Tulare, one of the largest,
richest, most interesting and important
counties of the State. 1t extends from the
summit of the Sierra Nevada mountains
on the east to the Coast Range on the west
and embraces the greater part of the upper
and best timbered portion of the great San
Joaquin valley, and which is locally known
as the Tulare valley, having an area of
1884 200 acres
The eastern third of the county is noun
famous and picturesque. while the valley
portion, of about two million acres, is al
most level and covered with a stately
growth of oak trees, standing singly and
IN groups and stretching away as far as the
eve can reach. This gives the country the
appearance of a vast natural park and is
beautiful TO look upon. In the trough Of
the valley lies Tulare Lake, fifteen miles
wide and twenty-five miles long, receiving
the entire drainage Of the county.
MOUNTAINS IN THE COUNTY.
As the form of the county is triangular,
with only the apex of the triangle resting
on the Coast range, it has but little noun
famous land upon its western border, but
the base of the triangle extends so far into
the Sierras that fully one-half Of its area
must be claSsed as mountainous or hilly,
and by mountainous is meant mountainous
in the fullest sense of the word
Biographies say Mountains are vast
elevations of land and that is what is
here seen. They rise abruptly from the
vslley to a hight Of from 5000 to 8 600
feet, with a second range still higher, until
Mount Whitney, the third highest noun
tain in the United States. lifts its ever
snow-capped head over 10000 feet above
the level of the sea-
THE FOOTHILLS.
The rolling land that marks the line
between the valley and the mountains is
termed foothills, and this portion of Tu-
lare county is very similar to that of the
whole western Sierra slope in California,
Some of the finest land in the world for
fruit purposes is found scattered through
these sections. Apricots, aoples, peaches
pears and vines are produced in quantity
and quality unexcelled, while vegetable,
of all kinds are grown and yield abuud-
antly.
1t is not to be understood that all this
section is tillable, but scattered here and
there on sioping hillsides and in beautiful
little valleys are hundreds of thousands o.
acres excellently adapted to cultivation
In this foothill section, at an altitude O.
from five TO seven hundred feet, is what i.
termed the frostless or citrus belt.
Here In the warm sunshine, free from
INJURIOUS frosts, fogs and tree pests of vari
Gus kinds. oranges grow to perfection ant
rlpen from SIX TO ten weeks earlier thar
they do three hundred miles farther to tn,
south. This IS accounted for by the fac
that there the oranges in fogsy weather
from ocean currents of damp atmosphere
remain dormant, while here in continuou
sunshine they push on to maturity.
TREE GROWTH.
The mountains are heavily timbere,
with dense forests of redwood, pine and fiji
making lumber supply practically mex
haustible. More than half of the world
renowned California big trees. the Seonns
Gigantias, are found in this county. usual