to the foothills or the thermal belt, nor to the high Sierra Nevada, where snow and ice are common, and where glaciers cover many of the highest mountain peaks. The most rainfall occurs from December to February, and the rain continues more or less scattering to April and May. There is only very seldom a shower in the summer, one perhaps in three years. In the mountains, the fall rains commence about the middle of August, on the plains again in October and November, sometimes even later. Dew is rare in summer time, but common from the beginning of October. Fog is rare, sometimes an unwelcome visitor in November, but never known at any other time of the year. Spring frosts are almost unknown, and occur only once in from five to eight years. _Irrigation._--Irrigation is practiced wherever raisins are grown. The water is taken from the rivers,--from Kings river in the Fresno district, and from the Merced, Kaweah and Kern rivers, etc., in the other districts. Before irrigation was begun in the Fresno districts, there were from fifty to sixty feet of dry soil before the natural water level was reached; but this has been so changed through a few years of constant irrigation, that now in places the land is subirrigated or moist to the surface, while in places even the soil requires to be drained, and no other irrigation is now needed except to allow the water to flow in the main or secondary canals, from which it seeps and keeps the soil filled with water, the moisture rising from below. The irrigation when practiced is done by flooding or by irrigating in furrows. New land must be irrigated until it becomes subirrigated; but, when once this is done, no separate irrigation becomes necessary. Many vineyards planted on subirrigated land which was once dry land have never since been irrigated. _The Vineyard._--The general distance of the vines is eight by eight or ten by ten feet, varying in different vineyards. Of late, there have been some efforts made to improve upon these distances, and to have them planted closer one way than the other, say five by ten or six by twelve feet. The vines begin to bear the second and third years, and if planted on proper soil should pay the fourth year and give an income the fifth year. Some vines have been known to pay the third year, there being much difference in this respect. Both cuttings and rooted vines are used, rooted vines having been preferred during the last few years. The ground is plowed in various ways in the winter time, according to the ideas of the owner. Cross-plowing is sometimes practiced. The general rule is to first plow one way, and then to cross-cultivate repeatedly until the soil is level and the weeds are destroyed. In wet places, the cultivation is kept up until July, but in proper places the working of the soil is finished in the early part of June.