without
harrow and thrasher, the soil of California has produced lavishly. In
1829, the fathers of Mission San Jose sowed on their lands ten fanegas of wheat.* In 1830, 1,100 fanegas, that
is, a return of more than one hundred to one were harvested. The
following year they did not plant the seed and the soil, lying fallow,
still produced 600 fanegas. In France, in mediocre soil, wheat
returns a yield of two or three to one; in good land, eight or ten; in
the best fifteen or eighteen.
Eighteen
months in California are adequate to grow a banana tree. At the age of
18 months the tree fruits and dies; a crop of bananas consists,
however, of 160 to 180 fruits weighing from 30 to 40 kilograms.
Mr.
Boitard has estimated that a plot of land 100 metres square, planted
out to bananas placed two or three meters apart, will produce 2,000
kilograms of fruit. By comparison, in the best lands of La Beauce,
wheat yields only ten kilograms and potatoes a like yield.
Vineyards
have been under cultivation for some time in California. The results
have been amazing. Monterey has shipped to San Francisco loads of
grapes that rival those produced in our best vineyards at
Fontainebleau. Not only do the plains and forest abound in deer, but
the rivers too are stocked with trout and salmon. At certain seasons
the coasts and bays, especially the bay of Monterey, present a singular
appearance; millions of sardines chased by the humpback whale attempt
to escape their enemy in shallow waters. Here sea birds of all kinds,
from the frigate-bird to the gull, lie in wait for their prey. The sea
at this time resembles a vast bee hive, the air if full of cries and
the beating of wings, while off in the distance like moving mountains
frolic whales who, having sent the small fish to the sea-birds, wait
for the sea-birds to send back their victims.
Out
in California the year is divided into two seasons, the dry and the
rainy season. The rainy season extends from October through March; the
dry season lasts from April to September. There are few cold days
during the winter season, the south-east winds that blow during these
months tend to temper the climate. The same thing occurs during summer
when the north-east breezes cool the burning rays of the sun. In the
rainy season, rains fall daily; however, the rains increase from
October to January and decrease from February to April. They begin to
fall about two o'clock in the afternoon, stopping toward six
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