The herald., 1894-03-01
SOMETHING ABOUT SOUTHERN CALI
F0RNIA SEASONS.

population OF Los Angeles and the sur
rounding country that is OF such recent
arrival that it may be presumed that
anything that gives Ln intelligent &C
count OF our seasons will be OF interest
to them. OF course all the facts are
contained in certain publications and
might be cleaned at the signal office OF
the United Stares-although this last
reliable and official record embraces bu t
a very limited period-but every one is
not at the pains to thus acquire this in
formation, however accessible or valu-
able it may be.
To begin with, unlike our own east
and most European countries, where
the rain does it's benefcent work mainly
in the spring and summer, aided by the
snow in winter, s. California season, as
to rainfall, is divided between two years.
Thus, we say the season OF 1876-77. and
so on. The rainfall generally begins in
the north, say in the middle OF October
and reaches the southern portion of the
state a little later. These rains are ueu-
ally trifling in volume-the mere fore
runners OF the real pluvisl dispensation,
which frequently sets in in this section
about the middle of November and lasts
till and some times inclusive OF May.
1t is an old saying in Los Angeles
county that we have our best and most
plentiful seasons when the rains begin
about Christmas. Southern California,
and California at large, are 30 different
from the east and from England that
the old saw that q green Christmas
makes fat graveyard has no applica-
tion here. Within q month before and
after Christmas, in nine seasons out OF
ten, the great volume of our rains have
fallen, although there are many iu-
stances of copious downpours in March.
The present year has been disappoint-
ing to our orchsrdists and farmers, al
though the crops, exceptin the extreme
northern part of the county, are looking
exceedingly we'll. We speak from actual
observation, and give our own opinion,
founded on years OF experience. If we
shall have good rain within the next
ten days, followed by few showers in
the latter part of March, we shall have
the largest and most diversified crops
that have ever been gathered in this
county. 1t requires a mighty small
amount of rain to insure crops here
abouts.
In considering Los Angeles county.
and the adjoining counties of Ventura,
San Bernardino aud Orange, the fact
should be borne in mind that we have
, several classes of farmers. First we
have the mesa farmers. By this term
is meant those who farm the table
lands. These worthless have had, TO
employ a popular phrase, "s picnic"
since 1876-77. The rains have been so
plenteous that during that whole period
there has not been, with an intelligent
and industrious farmer, single
failure of crop. During the same
period of seventeen or eighteen
years there have been three unmistaka-
Bile drouths in such states as New
York, Pennsylvania, Ohio, Illinois, and
everywhere in the northwestern states.
But in Los Angeles and her adjoining
counties we not only have these mesa or
table-land farmers, but we have the irri-
gators and the bottom-land farmers.
Immense areas OF our lands are abso-
luteiy independent OF the rainfall. This
has led to the remark, which was wont
to be frequently heard in former yeArs,
that more money is made in this county
in dry than in wet year. This OBJ
servation undoubtedly had its origin
when mesa farming was done in very
slovenly manner, and when euch splen-
did corn lands ss the Gan Vicente,
towards the west, and the San Francis
80 of other vast tracts, to the east and
south and north, were not understood
Probably the ideal season for this county
is when all classes of the agricultural
portion OF our community are alike pros
porous.
In the foregoing remarks we have re-
ierred to our last dry season, that of
1857. That was an unprecedented
season, which, as we have explained, is
the right way to characterize it. The
total rainfall then was 485 inches.
Thus far in the present season we have
had 602 inches. This, OF course ia alb
normally email. But small as it is, as
We have stated, the crops, owing to the
fact that the downpours came very op.
portunely, are in very promising state.
The day has long passed, in any event,
when single dry year could affect the
well being of Los Angeles county. The
idea of drouth arose at a time when
there were no reserves of feed here or
anywhere in Southern California. Such
thing as farming in any sense OF the
word, was absolutely unknown. This
section WAS then, what the press of San
Francisco, and of the northern and CEN
tral counties were wont to term it, "the
cow counties" The greed OF the own
ers of hocks of sheep, herds OF cattle and
bands OF horses led them to press the
limit of the spontaneous yield of the
soil, and when q scant rainfall came
upon an over-depastured country there
WAS of course great misery.
Shall we have the small amount OF