Excerpt from County of San Diego: The Italy of Southern CaliforniaUp to twelve or fifteen years ago the low bottom lands were deemed far the most valuable, the uplands or Slopes being of little use except for stock range and the raising of hay and grain in winters of abundant rain. Even six years ago, al though it was becoming generally known that the uplands were the best for vines and fruits, especially when irrigable, yet in the partition of the large ranchos the bottom land was still rated at from three to five times the value of the best up lands. Not only were the bottom lands deemed more valuable because the surface was nearer to water beneath, and more easily reached by water from the larger streams, but they were considered the only really rich lands there were. The uplands being hard ands dry were often nearly bare of grass, and what there was seemed small beside the luxurient growth on the 10034 sbil of the clamp alluvial bottoms. In time it was found that the uplands needed only good plowing, and thorough cultivation to equal in production the best bottom lands, while the warmer nights in winter, cooler days in sum mer, their greater freedom from spring frosts, their broader view of the landscape and other advantages for picturesque homes, combined with a great superiority in the quality of nearly all fruits made them far better for nearly everything but corn, alfalfa and a few other products. The scale of val ues has been quite reversed, the uplands where irrigable, as most of them are in some way, being about the only lands now sought for fruit growing and attractive homes, while the low lands are used more for pasture or ordinary farming. For this purpose they are still very valuable, but it is a value that has close limits, while the Uplands being sought by people of wealth in pursuit mainly of comfort and places fit for the raising of the choicest and most tender fruits, have a con stantly rising value, the end of which none can foresee.About the PublisherForgotten Books publishes hundreds of thousands of rare and classic books. Find more at www.forgottenbooks.comThis book is a reproduction of an important historical work. Forgotten Books uses state-of-the-art technology to digitally reconstruct the work, preserving the original format whilst repairing imperfections present in the aged copy. In rare cases, an imperfection in the original, such as a blemish or missing page, may be replicated in our edition. We do, however, repair the vast majority of imperfections successfully, any imperfections that remain are intentionally left to preserve the state of such historical works.