The Ottawa Free Trader

DESCRIPTION OF CALIFORNIA.
ITS PRODUCTIONS.

The productions of the Western section, will be found to differ very materially, from those of the eastern. I shall first notice those of the Western section, at some length. The timber of this section is, generally confined to the coast, the rivers and mountains; but there are many portions of the different valleys, of the rivers, which are well supplied with good timber. The largest and most valuable timber is found upon the coast, where dense forests in many places are found, consisting of fir, pine, cedar "red wood," (a species of cedar,) spruce, oak, ash and poplar. Much of this timber grows to an enormous size, especially the fir, red wood and pine, which are frequently seen two hundred, and even two hundred and fifty feet high, and fifteen and twenty feet in diameter. This timber makes excellent lumber, but its vast size, renders it extremely difficult, either to chop or saw it, with any degree of facility. The timber in the interior, both on the rivers, and in the valleys remote from the rivers, consists chiefly of oak, of almost every variety, including red, white and live oak, ash, poplar, cherry and willow. It consists chiefly, however, on the mountains of fir, pine, arbor vitae, cedar and spruce. Besides the varieties of timber, here mentioned, in many portions of the country, there is a dense undergrowth of thorns, hazels, briers, roses and grape vines, both upon the coast, and in the interior.

The timber of the eastern section, is much the same, as that of the Western section. Here, as in that section, it is chiefly confined to the mountains and rivers, but it is generally of a much smaller growth, than the same species found in that section. It consists principally of pine, fir, spruce, cedar, ash, poplar, cherry, and willow. The oak, ash, cherry, poplar and willow are generally found upon, and in the vicinity of the streams, while the fir, pine, spruce and cedar, are found mostly upon, and in the neighborhood of the mountains, and the more elevated regions. The undergrowth of this section, also consists principally of hazels, thorns, briers and grape vines. As before remarked, there are some portions of this section which produce scarcely any vegetation, besides the wormwood, or properly, artemisia; and the prickly pear. It is frequently asserted that there is a very great deficiency of timber in this country, but such truly is not the case; there is ample timber, in both sections, and in all the various portions of each, for all useful purposes. It is true that there is not the same quantities of timber here, as are found in some portions of Oregon, or in some parts of the States, yet the same quantity is not required, in a climate of such extraordinary mildness and uniformity.

Both the climate and the soil are eminently adapted to the growth of wheat, rye, oats, barley, beans, hemp, flax, rice, tobacco, cotton, coffee, corn and cane, as well as all kinds of vegetables, and especially such as potatoes, turnips, beets, carrots, onions and the like. And both the soil and climate are not less adapted to the growing of the greatest variety of fruits; among which are apples, pears, peaches, plums, cherries, and grapes, as well as most of the tropical fruits, particularly such as oranges, lemons, citrons, dates, figs and pomegranates.

Many kinds of grain and fruits above enumerated, are indigenous—for instance, the oats, wheat, rye; many of the tropical fruits; and a great variety of grapes; flax, a kind of hemp and red and white clover are also indigenous productions.

The oats are alluded to, have precisely the external appearance of our common oats; but upon examination, it will be seen that the grain differs slightly, from that of ours. It is rather smaller and is covered with a kind of fuzzy integument; otherwise it is precisely similar to that of our common oats. They generally grow much higher than ours, and the stalk is much larger, but this is attributed to the superior fertility of the soil, and the greater generative influence of the climate, and not to the difference of the species. Their usual height is about two or three feet, and the stalk is commonly about the size of that of our ordinary oats; but they are frequently found even eight feet high, having a stalk half inch in diameter. Several of the farmers have informed me, that they have often seen many hundreds of acres in a body, which were higher than they could reach when on horseback. They only grew to this enormous height, during those seasons which have been preceded by the falling of an abundance of rain, during the season that is, comparatively little rain fell during the previous rainy season, but upon several occasions, I measured the stalk of oats, which were six feet long, and nearly half of an inch in diameter. In traveling through the various sections of the country, I have passed through thousands of acres, which were from two to five feet in height, and as dense as they could possibly stand: when at the same time, I almost hourly saw the old stalks, of years previous, which were seven or eight feet in length, and sufficiently large and strong for walking canes. It is not uncommon either in a dry or wet season, to see continuous plains and valleys of thousands of acres in extent, which are thickly, and almost entirely clad with oats of two or three feet high, which would produce much more abundant crops, than our cultivated oats. In many portions of the country in the interior, the Indians subsist almost wholly upon them, and in other portions, if a farmer wishes to grow a crop of oats, he has nothing to do but to designate a certain tract as his outfield, and either fence it, or employ a few Indians to prevent the herds from grazing upon it, which being done, in May, or June he reaps a much larger crop than we are able to in any of the States, with all the labor and expense of cultivation.

The clover of which I speak, is in all respects like our ordinary red and white clover, grown in the different States, with the exception of its growing much larger. Its usual height is about two or three feet high, but vast bodies of it are frequently found, four or five feet in height, and as dense as it can possibly grow. It is chiefly confined to the valleys, contiguous to the rivers; but it is also sometimes found in large bodies, in many of the plains and upon the hills :—All of the bottoms and valleys, as well as many of the plains and hills, abound with this clover, which when matured, affords a most excellent natural lay, of which all kinds of stock are extremely fond.