Los Angeles herald., 1892-01-01

osL pOinC6 LnaC the LnerLnohot0f was
ever known to touch in Southern Cali
fornia where anybody lives. Their
| duration was very short. The extreme
cold at Keeler lasted only one night.
The great heat at Santa Barbara was
only for a few minutes while the wind
was at its strongest. The record OF tenn
perature in Southern California shows
| that nowhere is the mercury below 80
degrees on more than eight days in the
year, nor above 80 degrees more than
any sixteen days, the average lowest ex-
treme cold being 26 degrees and the
highest ITO degrees. These extremes of
cold last for only about an hour in the
early dawn, sometimes just long enough
to form coating of ice quarter or half
an inch thick, never more than an inch
in the coldest spots, or sprinkle OF
hoar frost on the lowlands. The great
eat extremes OF heat last only about an
hour along about or o'clock in the
afternoon, and that in the interior val
leys only.
The effect of the heat is modified bv
the exceeding dryness of the atmos-
phere during the day, the percentage of
moisture sometimes falling as low as
27 degrees. Dry heat hurts nobody as
the French philosopher proved long
ago. Farmers and labor's here work in
the summers sun with the mercury at
so and upwards, and experience no in
convenience whatever, the perspiration
evaporating Immediately and the body
keeping cool. The variation in some
places between day and night .tempera-
ture lie as much as 80 or 40 degrees. But
this is not inconvenient, when it is re-
membered that at the same place the
mercury goes no higher than 80 degrees
in the day, and falls to so degrees in the
night, making blanket a comfortable
covering. But these variations are sell
dom, and in few places.
The daily average Of the winds is from
nothing to twenty miles. The severest
winds have seldom been over twenty
six miles an hour. Some times poorly
constructed frame buildings on slight
foundations have been blown down.
Only twice, since records have been
kept, has the wind been sufficiently
strong to blow down a fairly good house.
The last time the wind in come portions
probably attained a rate of fifty miles
an hour, and. that In places exposed to
the ''suck" ofYbig caf1ons. Sometimes q
sand storm comes of the Colorado des-
ers, inconvenient at the time, and blows
for day or two, but leaves the air fresh
and pure. Occasionally in the summer
there is dry north wind that does
slight damagefora day or 30, and they
are soon gonssand forgotten.
Once in a long while there is slight
earthquake shock. The hardest earth
quake took place way back in 1872, when
church tower, built of round cobble
stones. poorly cemented, was thrown
80 81 hn Dnlx al, lxn 6vN
here within the memory of man that has
caused the death of any person. But
these are only few drawbacks to eli
mate and country which approach per-
fection as near as any spot that can be
found on this old earth.
Practically, it is aclimate that il. warm
in winter and cool in summer. The
rain season lasts only six months.
Storms seldom last over three days at q
time, and then most OF the rain falls
gently in the night. In the higher alti-
tudes on the mountains the rainfall is
always heavier than on the lowlands.
Hence after hard storm of any extent
or duration the river beds, which
are usually dry in the summer,
are often filed with torrent.
Sometimes they overflow their banks,
and the lowlands are covered with
small seas for short time. Railroads
occasionally suffer at such times from
washouts, and travel will be interrupted
for few hours until repairs can be
made. But floods are never very serious,
and it is seldom that they occasion a
loss OF life.
The rainless or dry season generally
lasts from April to November, although
some years it begins and ends a month
earlier or later. When it begins the
grasses all dry up, and the earth pre-
sents a parched and brown appearance.
Still the cattle do not suffer, for the
burr-clover seeds and other dried grass
es, scattered profusely everywhere,
afford splendid pasturage for stock.
For orchards, vineyards, small fruits.
and sometimes for cereals, irrigation is
necessary. This is an art which the
American settlers learned from the Mex
leans, and upon which they have made
many Improvements. Big dams have
been built in the rivers and csfions, by
which the waters OF the winterrains and
the summer SHOWS are saved and taken
thence in ditches fumes or pipes, for
many miles and out on to the land and
distributed evenly over the surface. 1t
is a great art to know when to irrigate,
and Just how much water is needed for
certain soils and the different products
grown. By means of irrigation farmers
are enabled to have sufficiency Of
water at regular intervals and in guam
titles to suit They do.not depend upon
the tickle heavens for proper supply Of
moisture, but have it ION tap" as it
were, and can give their growing crops
the needed amount whenever required.
Cooperation is practiced in irrigation
to the highest degree by means of pri
vate and public corporations. From
necessity, there has'besn great deal OF
legislation on this subject. Northern
California, on the other side of the
Sierra Nevada mountains, requires little
or no irrigation compared with Southern
California, on account of having a
greater rainfall. The greater portion
of the wealth and population of the
state is in the north, and Northern
California has always acted very un-
Justly towards Southern California in
the matter of irrigation laws, as in
many other things. Northern California
several years ago affirmed the doctrine
of riparian rights, which, if enforced in
the southern part OF the state, would
destroy all agriculture in this section.
Happily, although the law of the state,
it is not carried out to its full extent.
This is one of the chief reasons why
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