Diamonds

onyx and other precious stones abound, and bitumen and petroleum are found in many places. In 1898-1899 there was a great boom in the mineral oil productions in the Los Angeles district, and, although the busine is still in its infancy, it bids fair to become one of California’s greatest industries. In Los Angeles alone, in 1900, there were 750 wells working and many new ones under construction. In 1898, California produced 756,483 fine ounces of gold, valued at $15,637,900; 642,300 fine ounces of silver, valued at $830,- 448; 31,092 flasks (of 7614 pounds each) of quicksilver, and 2,257,207 barrels of petroleum, valued at about $1 per barrel. In 1900, the Director of the Mint estimated the gold output at $15,197,800, an increase over that of the preceding year, while the silver output decreased to $494,580. The soil varies with the surface conditions of the State. In the elevated portions it is rich, mellow, and easily worked, and timber land abounds. In the lower portions the soil varies from a rich loam to a heavy clay or adobe. What was formerly considered desert land can now, under irrigation, be turned into valuable agricultural districts.