now we see the valley is high at the north and south ends and sloops to nearly sea level where the riverseet. in the days of the early settlers, cattle were raised in the northern part of the great valley. in the long, hot summers, they could be driven up into the green meadows of the nearby mountains. but some areas of the sacramento valley were so dry that only sheep could be grazed profitably. in the south, there was so little rainfall, millions of acres were wasteland. only a handful of settlers tried to make this for betting land support them -- forbidding lan support them. because most of the northern part of the great valley had enough water for wheat, corn and vegetables, the farms of this part of the valley were prosperous. the wealth of this northern section of the great valley was water, flowing from the nearby mountains. the farmers on this land harvested rich crops, dairy farming prospered with green pastures and pure water. now let's remember this prime farm in the well watered part of the northern valley and compare it with this in the southern san joaquin. this soil is ric