Daily State sentinel. [volume] (Indianapolis, Ind.) 1861-1865, 1865-03-14
Correspondence of The siaie sentinel
OVERLAND TRIP TO CALIFORNIA.
INV VALLEY oy SAY JosE-IHI DRAWBACKS Uros
r.r rHg PACIFIC SLOPE. -es.. s

Mn EpiroR:-The country about the bay OF
San Francisco is IS beautiful as eye ever gaZed |
upou. and cspable of sustaining millions OF peo-l
pie. Every foot Of land from the yater-line OF
the bay to the foot of the mountains, and up
their sides. we'll nigh TO the summit. is capable
OF the highest degree of culture. and producing,
of a favorable season, under proper tillage.
Yields so astonishing that dare not repeat all
that hear, lest stagger the faith OF your read
ers saw beets four feet long and three feet
In diameter Sometimes the yield OF potatoes is
so enormous that they won't pay for sackiDg; and
ricks of them, piled up on the fields are suffered |
TO rot Thirty 70 sixty bushels OF wheat per |
acre is a common crop of wheat. and as many of
oats and barley. But / don't think the quality |
of the root crops as good as in the states. Their
growth il so rank that their hbres are longer |
aud cosrser. though they are good enough.
The valley Of San Jose Is probably the gem of
California Surrounded by mountains, except |
on the northwest, where il is washed by the bay
Il looks very much as if, one day. il formed part
of the bay, the receding of which left il as We
now find it. dry land. Ii is traversed by several
streams of water, With such romantic names as
Guadalupe, Los Gatos aud Coyote. the waters
OF which, all united. would no, make respects-
bic sized creek. Along the margin of these
streams are groves Of willows, live oak and
white oak, with, now and then. some cotton
wood and sycamore trees.
The valley is near twenty miles wide and fifty
long. and is covered with farm houses and huge
barns Verly little of the valley Is unenclosed
and most Of il under cultivation, and now green
with the growing crops. Wind mills are On in
stitution here and garden or farm is without
one or more, geared by pump by which water is
collected in tanks and thence drawn off for use.
When the valley was first settled by Anglo
Americans, artesian wells we're attainable at the
depth of 60 feet; now from 800 feet to 500 feet
are necessary TO bring good stream 20 an over
flow. Earthquakes occurring every year are
supposed to open new outlets. thus destroying
the wells.
The soil Of the valley is black and sticky"
like prairie soil. but more adhesive lt Is of great
depth In my humble opinion, however. it is not
well adapted to fruit trees, such as the apple.
peach and pear. True fine apples, peaches and
pears are raised here; but how many to a treef
Nowhere u more attention paid to fruit culture.
In no country are the trees more carefully nuTs-
ed. and yet they are small. dwarfy and yield but
little to the tree. One medium size tree in the
states will yield as much fruit as dozen here.
The soil evidently lacks lime; but notwithstand-
ing the light yield per tree, the aggregate pro
duction is immense, because Of the great number
of trees planted out. and genial climate secures
an annual yield. The grape hourishes here, and
| the ig is readily cultivated
The drawbacks to the prosperity of the coun-
try consist, mainly, of the frequent drouths and
the great extent of the farms or ranches
Against the first artesian wells and other applan
ces of irrigation may be provided; time alone will
effect the cutting down of the large estates to
small farms. The land titles are being gradual
ly settled; and the extravagance of rich heirs
| will s0on dsspate hesearnings Of prudent par
ents.
When the valley was first settled, it was cover.
ed with wild oats and clover; now, outside the
mountains, the range is worthless, sDd the
great bands Of horses and cattle once the prom
inent feature of California farm life. are gradu-
ally disappearing The dsshing "Greaser'' still
gaIlops along the highways; and the lariat leath-
er "leggins," big spears, and broad brimmed
hat yet greet US and remind Us of the happy days
when the rich meadows OF the valley were pub
lie common. and the thousands of horses and
cattle roaming thereon ad ibitum furnished
transportation and beef to whoever felt inclined
to capture and enjoy. But he is decidedly fos
sil, and treated as representative of lower
caste. even by the man who yesterday pundered
him of his broad acres by a system of chicanery,
fraud and villainous overseeing worse than
robbery, because involving not only the turpitude
Of that crime, but the additional baseness of
breach Of confidence aud blacklist ingratitude
The valley was originally parcelled out by
grants from the Mexican government to individ-
uals In tracts of from one to several leagues. and
Hidalgo, between the United States and Mexico,
these grants were TO be recognized. Since
lS49. the Anglo American has by every sort of
artiice, been striving TO wrest these grants from
the "Greasers;" and now, but few of the original
claimants own foot of the valley Once pos
sessed of color Of title sufficient to consti-
trte adverse possession, by the help of statutes
of limitation of five wears. where honest states
have twenty, the northern barbarian completes
| fha nd md thus h,,.ll
into the hands of Adventures and their attorneys,
who we're yesterday penniless, and to day become
millionaires while the original proprietor, who
yesterday counted bis acres by leagues and his
horses and cattle by thousands, Is q houseless.
homeless paupe-. made so by the exhaustng
process of litigation where Mexican simplicity
offered feeble opposition to Anglo American du-
pliosy and cunning
When the war with Mexico in 1867 culmi-
mated in the cession of Californis to the Uni'ed
States. the Spanish and Mexican occupiers of the
soil welcomed with outstretched arms to their
homes and firesides the crowds OF adventurers
that thronged across the plains. Every facility
for permanent settlement and present living was
lsvsbly furnished them For this hospitality
they have been requted by basest ingratitude
Warmed into life by most exrsvagant generos-
ty. 10 many instances. the recipient OF the bounty
has turned upon his benefactor and plundered
him Of his home Many millionaire who, 10
day. boasts his thors nj acres, Italian Wills.
great hocks of sheep, bands of horses and cattle,
orchards and vineyards about the BAY, in the
heart OF the richest country in the world, where
acres worth sections elsewhere, where there
Is scarce limit 10 productive p lwer. and scenery
more gorgeous than the loveliest OF the Orient
will be found in the great day OF accounts to rest
his title on no more honest foundation than
blacklist perhdy. Around the iresides of the
middle classes in California this subject is promi
nent. aud as a thousand dollar span of "bays"
dash by, drawing after them in a magnificent
carriage he bejewelled aud bespangled arstocra-
CIV OF this occidental region. il is no common
thing to hear il said. There 90 the
they were butchers in the states: they came to
California poor. and managed TO swindle Span
lard out OF his grant; they turn up their
noses at poor people. and scarce deign to give
passing notice 20 their victims or their destitute !
children"
Thus IA an sri.locracy Of wealth formed in |
California, none tue less irigid because IL IL of
psrrenue origin. IL htunts its drapery Of silks I
and satins on Gay promenades. aud sports it,
costly turn out on fashionable drives IL
flashes It's diamonds in the private boxes of thea.
tres and operas. ani a, the bal costume pla,s the
king and queen IL generally goes to church
where pew rents high and looks upon the
Gospel without money and without price" a. an
c pIodej hambug /, cats its dinner az o'clock
,, m; supper az III 2. m goes 20 bed drunk al
A m takes ia brandy aud breakfast on get.