The Abbeville press and banner. [volume] (Abbeville, S.C.) 1869-1924, 1870-02-25
A Trip to California.

favoritc with us for many years, W,
chanced upon tho following lctte
from tho accomplished and amiabl,
DR.. Joseph La Contc. 1t was re
frcshing indeed to mcot with 80 stri
king u contrast to the desolatior
Which rciSns around us here. w,
are gratified to learn from this ane
other sources of information, tha
Drs. La Contc and families are hap
PLY established in their new homes
and in the enjoyment of health and
prosperity:
! Our Georgia and Carolina readers
will remember that the political CON
ditlon of South Carolina, caused Pro
fessors John and Joseph Laconto to
resign their chairs in the South Car,
olina University, and to accept posi-.
tlons in the University Of California.
The following extract from private
letter to tho writer, by DR.. Joseph
LeContc, descriptive Of his trip
across tho continent, scenery, topog-
raphy, climate and vegetable produc-
tons of California, will bs found very
lntercsting.-Ea. Culhvutor.
Our trip across tho continent was
really delightful. The sleeping cars
are so admirable, that there is not
the least fatigue. l was as fresh on
arrival after seven days travel, night
and day, as l was when 1 started
from New perhaps little moro so.
Ihe scenery-so beautiful, SO novel.
so over varying-kcpt the mind
IN a state OF constant plcasuaLle cx-
cltcment. First, the boundlcss and
trceless, but luxuriantly green plains
OF the Platte River Valley; then the
excessive barrcnness aud ruggedness
of the Black Hills; then the deep
and preeipitous canons; then the dcs-
olatlon of the Salt Lake Valley, and
the rainless alkaline plains then the
woody Hanks and snowy SUBMITS of
the Sicrras; and finally the fertile
plains of California. We arrived
here in the latter part of the dry
season-thcre had been no rain for
three or four months. The country
therefore, was brown aud serc, and
the air dusty. The rain commenced
about six weeks ago: and now every
thing is green. With the first fall of
rain in October, the grass springs, the
trees bud, flowers expand, and every
thing presents a beautiful appear
ancc. In all the private grounds, how
ever, the green and the flowers are
kept up all the year, by artificial wa
tering. The winter here is so mild
as not to interfere seriously with the
growth Of vegetation. .
Ihe most remarkable popularity
the face of the country, which strikcs
new conner, is the want of forests.
You have no doubt heard much of the
magnificent forests of California; but
these are confined principally to the
slopes of the Sicrras-there arc some
magnificent forests. also, on the coast
range. Such coniferous forests, 1 be-
lleve, are not to be found anywhere
else in the world Besides the giant
trees, (Sequoia eigantea,) there is the
redwuod tree, which often attains the
diameter of fifteen or twenty feet,
and height of three hundred feet 1:
the sugar pine and the pitch pine,
each Of which are often feet in diam
eter and three hundred feet high. A
species of arbor Vita (haya) attains
an equal size and altitude. About
the Bay of San Francisco, however,
there is nothing like true forests.
Imagine a bay FIVE or ten miles wide,
and twenty or. thirty miles long, dot
ted with high rocky islands, complete
ly surrounded by beautifully pic ur-
esque mountains, fifteen hundred to
three thousand feet. high, connected
with tho Pacific only by narrow
outlet called the "Golden Gate" about
d mile wide, between high, rocky
promontories, and you will have some
idea of this magnificent bay, certainly
one Of tho finest 'harbors in the
world. The mountains about the
bay, where Tie. mountains are not
precipitous and rocky, are covered
with green grass, and dotted owe,
with clumps Of trees. forming separate
parks rather than forests. The infn
itely diversified soulpturings Of these
mountains, produced by erosive agen
cies, are thus exposed to tho eye O.
the geologist. l..'s.p b.. I
The most remarkable peculiaritiet
Of the climate hero arc: Let. The al
formation Of dry and wet season and
I'd. The uniformity of temperature
ln speaking of the iwes season, yoi
mnst not suppose that, there is con
slant rain. There is not more rain il
ffthe-wet seasou- than have in th,
winter east. The rain falls 80, gently
that much less saffices. There Is il
: the-sams pgepertiea--perhspsagrea
or proportion-of fine days here tha,