Between these two mountain systems, the Coast ranges and the Sierra Nevada, lies the great valley of California, broadly open for some 400 miles from where the Kern River Mountains connect the Sierra Nevada with the Coast Range at Telmehapi. to where Shasta closes it. in the far This valley is divisible into three parts. The first is the basin of the Sacramento River, north of San Francisco Bay, into which the river empties. This stream begins as the Pitt River, which flows out of (loose Lake, in the northern part of the State. forces its way through the gorges that separate the Sierra Nevada from the Shasta Range, and after receiving the Mc Cloud from Mount, Shasta, turns southward as the Sacramento River. It is fed by ninny streams from the mountains on each side, of which the Indian, Feather, and Ameriean are largest, and in it. lower course traverses a marshy flood-plain, annually overflowed. South of where the river turns into the sea and expands into Suisun and San Pablo bays. the valley is occupied by another large river, the San Joaquin, which gathers the waters from all the southern mountains, through its own sources in the heights of Fresno County, and by means of the Merced, the La Grange, Stan Calaveras, Consumes and many lesser streams, which periodically pour floods down the valley to Hood many square miles of reedy marshes, among which the San Joaquin joins the Sacramento. South of the head of the San Joa quin Valley, and separated from it at Fresno by a low divide, begins a somewhat circular, dry, and fairly level plain, about 100 miles long by 80 broad, the western part of which is a low, alkaline desert, surrounding Tulare Lake—an expanse of marsh-girt waters, 25 miles broad. Into this basin pours Kings River, and toward it flow many other mountain streams, which mostly disappear in the sand. In the southern part of this valley plain the Kern River flows southwestward through a region sonic 500 feet above sea-level, and empties into Buena Vista Lake. South and east of the mountains the country becomes a hot and waterless waste, named and Col orado deserts, sloping gradually to the Rio Col orado and the Gulf of California. In the north ern half this waste is broken by ranges and groups of arid, volcanic hills, among which lie deep salt-covered valleys. the most forbidding of which is Death Valley (q.v.), an alkaline, lava strewn depression near the Nevada boundary and just north of the 36th parallel. The valley is from 200 to 350 feet below sea-level. On the seaward side of the Sierra however, is an extensive region. narrowing northward to Santa Barbara. comprising the most populous and use ful part of Southern California—the districts about San Diego. Los Angeles. Riverside, Ven tura. and Santa Barbara. Similar coast districts are repeated northward in :Monterey and Santa Clara counties, and north of San Francisco Bay, in Sonoma and Mendoeino counties. west of the Coast Range. Some important rivers descend to the sea in these coastal spaces. such as Russian River, in Sonoma County; Eel River. in Men docino and llumholdt counties: and Trinity River, in Trinity County, all of which have a northwest course. Flowing irregularly southwest across the northwest corner of the State, is the Klamath River, which drains the Siskiyou, Sal mon. and other coast ranges of that region.
The coast smith of Santa Barbara is low and sandy. with several large islands in the offing. But north of Santa Barbara it is high and rocky. bold cliffs facing the sea, almost unbroken by harbors, other than that of the Bay of San Fran eiseo, entered through the rift in the coast, cut by the joint out flowing of the Sacramento and San .Toaquin rivers. and called the Golden Gate.
No State of the 'United States. in deed. few of the most favored eountries of the world, can boast of so deliobtful a climate as that of the valley lands of California. Two sea sons, the wet and the dry. divide the year; the first so called because it is the only period dur ing which it rains. though rains are not con tinuous, and the average fall for the State, twenty-three inches, is less than at Chicago or Saint Louis. This season lasts from about the middle of November till April or May.
At San Francisco snow is almost unknown, the mercury never remains below the freezing point for twenty-four hours, and flowers bloom in the gardens at Christmas time. The average mean temperature at San Francisco is 51°—summer, 60'; winter, 40°. Trade winds from the south west prevail along the coast and give the val leys opening toward San Francisco Bay a cli mate peculiarly their own. Owing to the cool summer climate of the coast between parallels 35 and 40, San Francisco in July is cooler than San Diego by 7°, and than New York by 17', and does not attain its highest temperature until the trade winds cease in September.
In the central valleys greater extremes of tem perature are experienced than along the coast. The mean temperature for this belt is 64°, and is remarkably uniform. Tn the north the sum mer is warmer and the winter cooler than in the south. The rainfall decreases gradually from north to south, being 51 inches at Cape Mendo cino and 46.6 inches at Redding, in the interior. on the same parallel as Cape Mendocino, •3 inches at San Francisco and 4 inches at Bakers field. In southern California the climate may be said to reach perfection. At San Diego the mean winter temperature is 54°, summer. 68'. and at Santa Barbara. 53° and 68° respectively. At Monterey the difference between the aver age temperature of January and •Tuly-, is 6°: at Los Angeles, 12'. San Diego is 6° or 7' cooler than Charleston or Vicksburg, which are nearly in the same latitude. The great heat of the interior and of the southwest, where, as at Fort \ 11111a, the average summer temperature is 02 , is due to the dryness, which is easily borne, and sunstrokes never occur. Thunderstorms are com mon in California. Everywhere the nights are cool, or at least endurable: the clearness of the atmosphere causing rapid radiation. Early spring, comprising the latter part of February and the month of March, is the most delightful part of the year. The air is mild, the sky clear, and the landscape gay with flowers. Summers are dry except along the coast from six to ten miles inland, where fogs are likely to occur. During the summer the earth becomes dried to a depth of several inches: the air is tilled with dust, the vegetation is burned brown. and the smaller streams disappear, a state of things that lasts until the autumn rains begin. Among prominent winter resorts are San Diego, noted for its tine harbor, on one side of which is the famous Coronado Beach; Santa Barbara, over looking the Pacific, a favorite watering-place; Santa Monica, noted for surf-bathing throughout the year; Santa Cruz. with a fine beach and backgroond of mountains; Monterey, on beauti ful Slonterev Bay, associated with the earlier history of the province under Spanish rule; over 100 feet below sea-level, is remarkable for cures effected by its air in pulmonary diseases; Los Angeles and adjoining places. including Pa sadena, in a section that has been termed 'the Italy' of the 1"nited States—a paradise of rose gardens, vineyards, and lemon and orange_ groves. Other resorts are the Arrowhead Hot Springs, El Paso de Roble, and Napa Soda Springs.