The Middlebury register. [volume] (Middlebury, Vt.) 1850-1882, 1870-11-01

For the Rrornr
SAN fnANcIsco, Chi, Oct. ~.
Editor Rcgistcr; | noticed in the Reg
Istcr of II recent date, complimentary
items about " large beet" and "largc
bunch of grnpcs,' left at your office. also
mention of iorgc fruit grower in Port
Henry, who hid n ton Of grapes on his
Vines
Being \crmontcr have II high APP
probation Of the good things raised ON
her green hills" But those " items
remind me Of the large bccts and grapes
sometimes raised here in California, and
it may not be inappropriate to mention
some of them
A beet has been raised in Oakland
which measured eight feet long. My
friend Gould of Santa Clara exhibited,
at the Horticultural Fair recently held
here, n single stem of grapes which
weighed II pounds. The same gentle.
man has sowed 40 acres of Strawberries,
and the man owning the ranch adjoining
has 30 acres, making 20 acres in one
field There are little vineyards in the
State which have sowcd 100000 three
millions) bearing vines on single ranch.
Last year | visited the southern coast
Tor my health, and among other curious
things that l saw was the /" Big Grape
Vine This vine or tree, is growing a.
bout three miles south of Santa Barbara,
on the side Of the Santa Ine7 mountains,
aud overlooking the ocean The trunk
Of it is round and smooth like an olive
tre,, and measure thlrty-nine inches in
circumference about two feet from the
grouud, which is the smallest place. Sew.
en- feet from the ground it branches out
over irame work, supported by sixty
three posts, forming beautiful canopy
overhead under which the Spanish seniors
and pretty SenaoretaS for miles around
hold their time IGNORED tdnlaagoes, -
there being a fine dancing floor under a
small portion Of the vine for that pur-
pose.
The branches cover an area of more
than four thousand FIVE hundred square
feet One Of them measured ten inches
in circumference, twenty feet from the
trunk and fifty leet from the trunk ii
measured seven and three fourths inches
in circumference. In 1868, the yield in
grapes from this vine was fire tons. This
is presumed to be the largest grape vine
in the United States.
There is quite romance with its be
ing planted and its present ownership
Forty-nine years ago Sonora Doniheguel
came up from Los Angeles Mission, anC
with her husband settled here on Span
ish grant of thirteen thousand acres
When starting from the Mission, She
, looked about for whip to use on her In
bi, of grape vi vine r1 which she planted il
the ground near where they erected theil
little adobc cottage; fine stream of wa
ter ran along close to it from the wlds o
a little canon inst above on the mountain
-. side.
Seven years since the old lady died
leaving to her son Josie Donineguez, al
the landed property; and to the daugh
ter Donna Louise, the little adobe cot
tagc and the grape vine, providing sh,
would never marry. BIT if she should
get married the cottage and grape vine
would revert to the brother Jose. With
the great inducements for pretty maidens
to get married, and especially the inclina
ton of California lasscs to marry at q
very early age, here is an honorable ex.
ception to that general rule, for Donna
Louise fingers yet in single blessedness
Learning the facts above mentioned, |
thought here was a fine opportunity for
me to acquire nice valuable property,
with beautiful scnorita thrown in, |
saddled my mustang and started with a
young gent from Boston to visit the vine.
We rode over the pretty hills in the clear
autumnal morning, near enough to the
roar of the ceaseessly moving ocean to
have the noise Of its breakers dashing
against the sandy shores, lull us into a
feeling OF perfect contentment. As we
neared the place it seemed to me that l
might astonish this rustic Of the " Hub"
. by presenting myself to the charming
senmitQ. and see what she would say.
On arriving we were shown about the
place by congenial Spaniard, who ex.
planned all the interesting features Of it.
The view was perfectly superb about a
mile to the west lay the broad Pacific,
stretching away as far the eye could
reach. On the right lay Santa Barbara,
with the tops of the old Mission Just
peering over the hills To the left were
beautiful stock ranches among the long
lines of timber, and in the distance was
the little town Of Carpcntcria, while back
Of us the Santa Inez mountains rose up
towards the clouds, rough and jagged,
nearly. four thousand feet. 1t was II
place for a poet, and picture for an ar
list, romantically charming ventured
to ask if | could not see the beautiful
Senorita Certainly, he replied, and soon
led her out in all her loveliness, bowling
and smiling us basket of chips" She
bid the Senior Americanos pleasant good
morning, desiring to know what she might
have the pleasure of doing for Us. On
taking survey of her appearance, it re-
minded me of the City of magnificent
distances" She was as broad as she was
long, was only forty-three years DID, and
weighed three hundred and sixty-onc
pounds averdupois. asked her, how
ever, if she would not like to form "a.
/ partnership, and she smiling, with a
mouth as large as n coal scuttle, which
ran around some distance from one ear TO
the other showing the most beautiful
worries, o,odestly replied that she had re-
ceivcd numerous offers from very AdAd-
some gentlemen, but that She had deter
mined to stick by the " old vine.
looked to see il my Boston friend
had tainted, as | just then discovered the
climate uncomlortably warm, But he
lay sprawled out on the dancing floor,
completely convulsed with laughter. We
.i..oet in ntv 10 tho hotal