The rise of the Californian fields, too, is an example of the rapidity with which oil regions can be developed. California’s output in 1919 was, roughly, 120,000,000 barrels of crude oil, or over 14,000,000 tons. It possesses nearly 900 square miles of oil-lands, and though at one time a great difficulty was experienced in disposing of the crude oil production, since it was of a somewhat low grade, the position has now been reversed, and the consumption of petroleum products is greater than the supply. With the improvement of the methods of drilling, and the debut of the rotary system, it has been possible not only to drill to much greater depths, but to considerably reduce the time requisite for drilling a well to the oil sands. Californian records for quick drilling with the rotary machine show that wells have been got down to the producing sands, in some fields nearly 4,000 feet below the surface, within one month. This deep drilling policy, which is now much in vogue among Californian oil operators, has proved the existence at the greater depth of larger volume of oil of far better quality than that met with in the shallow strata, and it is to the discovery and consequent development of the deeper oil horizons that much of California’s recent advance is due. Though but of small significance, the oil-wells in Summerland, Cal., call for mention for the reason that these are drilled in the sea at quite a distance from the coast. The encroachment of sea-water to the wells themselves is prevented by the continuance of the tubes in the wells to a height above the level of high-water mark, the produced oil being piped to the mainland. There is no doubt that a wonderful future awaits California in regard to its oil export trade. The Far East is largely drawing upon the State for crude oil for treatment in the Far Eastern refineries: the oil-burning vessels of the Pacific rely upon Californian fuel oil for their supplies, while the opening of the Panama Canal, and the establishment of oil storage depots there, has brought California within easy transport distance of the European markets. During the past few years several cargoes of Californian refined oil have, in fact, come upon the English market.