The herald., 1895-08-19
IN SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA
The Most Prolific Land Upon
This Rolling Globe
THE LAND OF SUNSHINE
Condensed Facts Regarding Its Growth
and Development
HE LAND OF SUNSHINE
The State That Has Felt the stringency Of
the Times the Least Of Any Of
the Union

Southern California, as the term is gen.
orally understood. comprehsnds the six
counties of San Diego, San Bernardino.
Orange, Los Angeles, Ventura and Santa
Barbara.
To these has br,en recently added Riv-
erside, which was formed out of portions
OF the counties Of San Bsrnardino and
San Diego.
The territory referred to is bounded on
the north by the counties of San Luis
Obispo, Kern and Inyo; on the east by
the state CT Nevada and the Colorado riv-
er, which separates California from Ari-
yona; on the south by Lower California,
territory OF the republic of Mexico;
and on the west by the Pacific ocean, the
shore-line of which extends in a northwes-
terIy and southeasterly direction for a
distance OF about 2I5 miles.
The total area of the seven counties Is
"A, 901 square miles, which is 80 per cent
of the area OF the state.
The following comparisons Will enable
the reader to better realize the signifi-
canoe of these figures:
The areas of the following states approx
innate that of Southern California: Indi-
ana, Sc, $780, Kentucky. 100000; Louisiana,
4s, 100; Mississippi, 46,slO; New York,
40, 10; Ohio, Al. $50: Pennsylvania, 45,2l5;
Tennessee, 42,05O: Virginia. 40, 450.
The states of Connect cut Delaware,
Massach usetts, New II ampshire New
Jersey. Rhode Island an Vermont could
all be placed within the boundaries OF
Southern California, and still leave 1154
square miles to spare.
Again, take the area of few European
countries in comparison with the 44,90l
square miles of Southern California:
Belgium. 11,373 England and Wales, S.
1856; Holland II, $50; Scotland. 30 800.
Like Palestine, it is comparatively
narrow strip of land facing western sea;
it is shut off from interior deserts by
high mountains, snow-capped in winter;
1t has its dry and wet seasons it is d
tand Glowing with milk .and honey"
and in both countries flourish the olive,
the fix and the vine. the grapes of Esch.
col, which excited the .wonder of the Is
zaelites, finding their counterpart at any
OF our horticultural shows
Along the coast, from Point Sal to the
Mexican line and extending on an average
about forty miles from the ocean, lie
on the unbiased testimony of "a multitude
OF experienced travellers, is superior in
climate, soil and attractiveness OF sur
roundings to any other section of similar
expanse on the face Of the globe.
NO MONOTONY.
VARIETY is one of the noteworthy feat
ures of Southern California. Outside of
Colorado and Mojave deserts there ID not
one dull, monotonous plain. 1t is a sue
cession.of mesas and valleys, each possess
ing distinctive features OF soil and eli
mate, shut off from each other by rolling
hills, dotted with oak and walnut, and
backed by the aiestic Sierra, pine clad
toward the SUBMITS, and occasionally
snow-capped in winter, when the oranges
are ripening and the heliotrope is blossom
ing in the valleys below, willis from the
foot of the snow-clad mountains to the
seashore is but a couple of hours Jour
ney.
OF the 40, 900 square miles in Southern
California, large proportion of the total
area lies in the Mojave and Colorado bas-
ms. usually called "deserts." But the
"Great American Desert OF our school
boy days has been found to be myth.
1t has been pushed further west, until it
has now almost entirely disappeared.
Forty years ago the man who talked of
growing wheat In the San Joaquin valley
-the.granary of Californa-was laughed
al. Twenty years ago. Riverside, the
center OF California orange production,
was barren sand and desert waste.
Twenty years hence, the Moiave and Col
orado basins will support dense popula-
tion. Water will be the magic element
to effect this marvellous change.
In the lower valleys the soil consists OF
rich alluyium deposited by streams in
past ages. The upper valleys pussess
all grades of this alluvium, and have, ,also
in some places. a black soil called adobe,
which forms in winter a tenacious mud.
1t is well adapted to grain and some va
rieties Of fruit. On the mesas, or plains,
there is much soil composed of debri,
washed from the mountains, mixed with
Vegetable accumu ulations: also some sandy
clay. A large area is rich, sandy loan,
with water at from five to twelve feet be-
low the surface. On the rolling and table
lands the soil is warm, porous, and more
or less sandy, we'll adapted to fruit cu-
ture...Next come the foothills, with much
decomposd granite; this makes the choic-
est citrus fruit lands. Beyond are the
mountains, s.muoh OF the land in which is
good for pasturage, with small arabic val
leys. Where there are so many varieties
sometimes several within the limits of
one farm-it is easy to find soil adapted
to any product that can be raised in this
section.
A remarkable variety of climates may
be found within the limits OF the district,
the differences being caused by elevation
and distance from the ocean. On the
coast it is cooler in summer and little
warmer in winter than inland, with oc-
casional fogs at night. This climate is
well adapted to those who suffer from
nervous affections. Farther inland il be.
comes warmer AMI in places decidedly
hot at times during midsummer days. al
though there is always a gentle breeze
from the ocean, and the summer nights
are cool enough to make blankets wei
come. As the mountains are elm bed, a
cool. bracing air is encountered. which is
very beneficial to consump ptives.
z On winters day one may breakfast
on the seashore. after dip i'll the ocean,
lunch amid the sorange groves of the San
Gabriel valley and zine on the snow
capped SUBMITS OF the Sierra Madre, un-