CHAPTER XV. Valleys-Trees, vegetables, fruits, flowers, grain, and grasses- VALLEYS. THE vast and fertile valleys of California, stretching over a length of country of seven hundred miles, form the richest and most variegated agricultural district in the world, produce almost every species of tropical and semi-tropical trees, fruits, nuts, herbs, flowers, and grasses, and yield most abundantly of wheat, barley, potatoes, fruit, and vegetables. Nearly all the valleys of the State run parallel with the coast. The three chief are the San Joaquin, Sacramento, and Santa Clara; but the two last, in which are numerous others divided and subdivided within their general area of about five hundred miles in length by sixty in width, form the great agricultural field of California, completely enclosed between the Sierra Nevada and the Coast Range of mountains; these, running almost north and south for five hundred miles, nearly join by curving toward each other in Siskiyou county at the north, near the southern line of Oregon, and joining at the south in Los Angeles county, at Mount Pinos, leaving to the south and east of the Sierras the vast deserts and valleys of San Bernardino and San Diego counties, stretching east and south to the western line of Arizona, the river Colorado, and Lower California. A fuller description of the soil, area, &c., of these valleys will be found in the chapter descriptive of the several counties and of the agricultural resources of the State. LAKES. There are twenty-two principal lakes in California, with an area of 29,641 square miles; besides innumerable small ones, some of very respectable size, of considerable depth, and of great natural beauty. Some, elevated high in the Sierras, contain crystal water, with abundance of fish, while others, low in the alkaline flats, are so acrid and bitter that no animal life can be found within their waters, floating on their surface, or partaking of their pungent fluid. TULARE LAKE.-This lake is situated in Tulare county, its southern line being the western boundary of a portion of Kern county. It is about seventy miles directly east from the town of San Louis Obispo, which lies close to the Pacific ocean, in the county of that name, and one hundred and eighty miles south from San Francisco. This is the largest lake in the State, being thirtythree miles in length by twenty in width. The Sierra Nevada mountains being directly on the east of it, send down innumerable streams; many of which, such as Kings, Kern, and Elk, are of considerable size, and pour their floods into this lake, which forms the common receptacle of all the waters of a vast area of country. Strange as it may seem, there is no visible outlet to this great sheet of water. In the rainy season, the land upon the west and east sides, being low, is overflowed to a great extent, forming tule and swamp. It is supposed that there must be some subterranean outlet to this sheet of water. Goose Lake. This is second in size of all the lakes in California, and is situated on the State lines of Oregon and California, about one-third in Oregon and two-thirds in California, in Siskiyou county, and about seventeen miles from the extreme northeast corner of the State. It is thirty-three miles in length by nine in breadth, and is surrounded by a richly timbered and agricultural country, but almost wholly uninhabited. RHETT LAKE. This lake is also in Siskiyou county, about eight miles east of Goose lake, and close to the Oregon State line. Its greatest length is about fourteen miles, and its width about eleven. WRIGHT LAKE-Also in Siskiyou county, is six miles directly east of Rhett lake, and four miles from the Oregon State line. It is ten miles in length by five in width. ALKALI LAKES.-Three lakes, bearing each the name of Alkali, are situated in the eastern limit of Siskiyou county, and east of the Sierras, running more than three-fourths of the width of the county, in a northerly and southerly direction, close to the State line between California and Nevada. They are in one of the richest agricultural valleys in the State. Innumerable streams running from the north and west empty into them; and, although these streams are of crystal purity, the water of the lakes is so alkaline that no living thing is found in them. Surprise valley, in which they are situated, contains some excellent agricultural land. The streams and lakes at certain seasons swarm with wild fowls, geese, ducks, and crane. The most northerly of these lakes is fifteen miles south of the northern boundary of the State; its length is fifteen miles, and its width eight. The centre one is |