Southport telegraph. [volume] (Southport, W.T. [i.e. Kenosha, Wis.]) 1840-1850, 1849-11-23
CALlFORNlA-ITS CLIMATE AND
CROPS

| AS to California, there is but one thing to be
SAID IN lis favor, that is the gold mines-and thew
are all and more than what has been represent
cd: But 1t requires labor to get gold, and one
nall OF those that have arrived, cannot, and will
not endure the privations Of mining To excuse
themselves, they will give an unfavorable ac-
count of the mines; but you may rely upon it.
they are all that they have been represented. be-
ing the richest gold mines the world has ever
produced. But is to b obtained by patient toll
and industry, and the man who can and will la
Dor and put up with the privations of a miners
life, cannot fail in two years to get enough TO
give him at least handsome start in any bust
ness in the States.
But when you do justice to the mines YOU
have said all that can be said of this country
Instead of being the best, it is the worst climate
in the world. | have seen the thermometer
stand 100 degrees in the shade 1t was so hot
that no human being could labor. The whole
| valley OF the Sacramento is unhealthy, and with
the most oppressive and dsagreeable climate
suffered more few nights ago on this bav as
was coming down, from cold, than did all last
winter. The fact is, | wcs almost chilled TO
DEATH
This is a cold, chilly place, the wind blowing
tornado half the time. This is no agricultural
country, and never can be. The only wheat |
have seen, or heard of here, is at Capt Suffers
on Feather river, and on examining his field the
day before it was cut, do not think it produced
three bushels TO the acre In Ohio no farmer
would think of cutting it. The corn was still
worse. You have heard of Capt SIS. great
crop of wheat last year. Will you believe me,
when tell you that he bought his own bread
and flour, and what he had was fed like hav
! to his horses and cattle. In all my travels in
California, | have not seen vegetables enough to
supply one family. There are a few spots that
are desirable enough but thew are mere spots.
small valleys supplied with good soil and water.
and Of limited extent.
! The truth IS a few men came here and got
large grants of land, and then set to work to
write the country into consequence This is a
crime. Thousands who have read Frcmont's
reports, and other books of California. have
been decoyed-here with their families. at great
cost, and risk of life When they come here
instead of finding an Italian climate-n north
latitude, they find every degree of heat of the in
habtable globe, down to that of perpetual snow.
In place OF rich, alluvial plains, we find the san
dy deserts of Arabia, with here and there. spots
of good land, but useless because for or 8
months, they receive not drop of moisture
Even as grazing country, it has been greatly
overrated. Giving the horses and cattle the
whole valley as range, which is the case,
they can make out to keep fat and in good order,
but in general, one acre Of our good grass land
can produce more than one hundred acres here
The country can never be cut up into small
farms as in the States. OF all the emigrants
here, | never met one but intends to leave as
soon as he can make his pile. Many of the
old settlers got their pile and have gone back.
All are preparing to 90, and no one thinks of re-
naming more than one or two years, hoping in
that time to make enough here. All the Ore
gon men, as they get 10 or 900, go back
Another letter, from Col. Weller, dated San
Francisco, Aug. 20, says 'the climate of San
Francisco is about as bad as have ever secn.-
Since have been here "a week. one requires
WOODEN clothing, and an over-coat every day
At night three blankets at least are indispensa-
bic to ones comfort. The wind blows steadily
every day from the north, and the dust is exccs-
sively annoying"