Rutland weekly herald. [volume] (Rutland, Vt.) 1859-1877, 1870-03-31
Letter from California.
CLIPPER MILLS, Cal, }
March Ia. 1870 {

Editor Herald Ever since my early
boyhood / have been constant reader of
your paper, and let me be where may, am
ever made to rejoice at your appearance,
and now for me to be without you would
be like dispensing with dear friend.
And now feeling as friendly toward you
as | do, and having been brought up in
your county and received part of my
schooling within speaking distance of
your establishment, can but think it
proper for me to be allowed through your
columns to have a word to say in regard
to California, the present place of my
abode.
California is place in many respects
to be envied. At the present time, while
you are shrouded in snow and your good
people of Vermont are obliged, if you
step into the street, to smother yourselves
with muffiers and overcoats to keep out
the searching cold, we are blessed with
more congenial and lovely climate.
With you it would pass for a mild May.
Even here in the mountains, at distance
of thirty-fve miles from tho valleys, thoro
has been no snow, and the frosts have
been SO light that flowers have not ceased
30 bloom and throw forth rich perfumes
to the passer-by, and most everything else
retains its wonted greenness of summer,
and in some places peach trees have been
for the past month arrayed with their
h1naao,na xxthinh &c 1illa1 hv
frosts, will bring forth fruit such as no
place but this in the world can boast of.
In the cities of the valley may be found
vegetables just taken from the ground,
which reminds one of the month of Au-
gust in Vermont, for here ii il so mild that
most all kinds of garden productions con-
tinue to grow nearly two years If left in
the ground, therefore they are left gener-
ally till wanted for market, let this be in
January or August, no matter when. To
one that Id not accustomed to California
fruit it would be treat to go into the or
ehards here in the fruit time of the year,
and much more of treat If they could
satisfy their appetities by tasting of their
excellent fruits. To see pears here measur-
ing in circumference from sixteen to
twenty inches, the longer, and eight and
ten the smaller way, aud grapes by the
single bunch weighing twenty-five pounds,
and other kinds of fruit in the same fine
proportions, is no uncommon affair, and if
wishing availed anything, it would long
ago have placed at the disposal of your
publishers and some of you readers sup.
ply, at least sufficient to satiate their APP
petites once, of the luxuries of the fruit
season.
But let me return to the mountains for
few words. often have wished, as
have been on the top of some of the noun.
tains here, that l could place them and
the beauties at their feet in old Vermont
so that the many people there of whom
have such fond remembrance, could &c
to their SUBMITS instead of going on tC
Killington. we'll remember the day
that l, with about twenty others, climbed
to the top of Killington for the first time
it was in the month of August, and 1
better day never was realized in Vermont
Some of the fair ones went on horseback
nearly to the top, while the rest with
much perseverance and good many ex
tons, succeeded in reaching the Ions
looked for top. Yet to us it was all pleas
ure, for pleasure was what we were il
pursuit of; but how different would i
have been if we had been doing it TO
hire, for then it would have seemed mex
to impossible. But nature, it seems, wa
little partial TO some of the Vermonter
here, for there are mountains in this i'm
mediate vicinity much higher than Xii
linston, that have good roads to their very
tops, and when once permitted to lool
abroad and behold as you can so muci
of natures glorious works, which sur
round you on every side, one would
almost exclaim, "whcre am / that ever,
thing looks so almost Godlike." Looking t
the south along through valley not to b
surpassed any where for beauty, you ca
trace the Sacramento river with its wind
ings as far as the eye can penetrate. i
little farther to the West, and eight mile
west of Marysville, your eye will NEE
the heights known as the Marysyill
Buttes, they rise up on the plains almos
like spires and remind one of the EgyI
tian Pyrmids. To the North may be see
continuation Of the Sacramento Valley
and beyond this is the noted Mt. Shssts
being IA, 440 feet high. To the east 20,
behold the valleys Of the Yuba rivers, o
which there are three, North, Middle an,