Los Angeles daily herald., 1874-05-26
OUT or TOWN.
A Sundays Jaunt 10 the Country on
FaOt-SOme Self-cOmpIacieneies in
Regard to Our Country and Climate
Mr.. A. Il. Watermaas Place On san
Pedro Street

|
well We may be. Except, perhaps,
towards the mountains at the north of
us, one cannot go in any direction
from Los Angeles without encounter
ing the same delightful prospect of
grain fields, orchards, vineyards and
pleasant suburban residences. Our
friends abroad hear many startling
accounts of the capacities Of our agri-
cultural regions. They know much of
our big crops, big trees and big stories;
but, without ocular demonstration,
they can never know of the peaceful,
home-like, enchanting features Of our
country which surround ones every
day life in Southern California.
While pleasant breeze-nOt hurri-
cane--is stirring, and Summers sun
warns without scorching you, drive
out into the country on any day you
may choose. Their is no watching to
secure fair weather or to avoid foul.
During our long summer, one day is
the finest you have ever seen, and the
others are all just like it. We say all,
but there may be an exception; if 80,
! it will only go to prove our rule
| Driving out one of the streets leading
to the country, you pass between long
hedges of willow or poplar, which give
u decidedly sylvan tone to the way.
| The trees grow along the banks of a
zanja, carrying its freight of water
with a somewhat rapid current, and
turning off here and there part of its
stream to irrigate an adjoining field.
There is a cool inviting atmosphere at
the roadside all along. The shade is
| dense, the water is clear, the banks
are green, and at midday the tempta-
ton is strong to lie down beneath one
of the overhanging willows, with
ones hat over his eyes, and let the
whole world go to blazes, if it wants
to. If irrigation has its drawbacks,
no one of them, certainly, is included
in the running of the zanjas along our
public highways. But the beauties of
your drive do not stop at the roadside.
On the right and left there are con-
stantly changing scenes to attract the
eye and please the fancy.
Every prospect pleases,
| And man alone is vile''-
present company excepted. Here is
| the place where an Opulent old Dutch
man lives. Fifteen years ago he came
into the country poor man. He set
| tied down on this farm, planted orange,
lemon, lime, walnut and other kinds
of semi-tropical trees. He toiled per-
sistently, dOggedly, corageously for
that long term on his property, and
while others were running wild in
their quest for gold, he was content to
toll and wait. Now the poor Dutch
man cannot be bought out for quar-
ter of million dollars! AS you look
down the long rows of symmetrical
walnut trees and see how straight
they stand, how well trimmed, and
well cared for in every way;
and as you see the orange orchard in
an equally fine condition, the lemons
and lines and figs the same, while in
their midst stands the poor, mean little
frame house, you say, "well, he has
earned them.o
But we have depressed from our
original intention in writing this arti-
Gle. We set out to tell of trip which
we took into the country the other day
something like that which the reader
has been started upon, only differing
in this: that we have given the reader
carriage to ride in, while we our
selves "hoofed it," The Irishman's
poetry here comes very oprOpos:
"The rich they ride in their chaises,
And, be jabcrs, the poor man goes afut."
There were three in our party-the
Judge, the General 1--WE call him Gen
eral because it pleases him and sounds
well), and the deponent. We decided
among us that it would be more
healthy, more comfortable and equally
heightened to take a gentlemanly
stroll, and every way better than to
ride cramped up in carriage. Happy
thought! and eXcellently adapted to
! the depleted state of our eXchequer.
Our path lay out San Pedro street, and
we logged along in the comfortable
frame of mind usually attributed to
the poor but honest man. About two
miles and half from town our walk
terminated at the house of our hospi-
table friend, A. +. Waterman. San
Pedro street is too well known to re-
quire any words of description from
us. Suffice it that we followed along
the cool zanja, passed the old Dutch
mans place and thoroughly appreci-
ated all the beauties of field, grove and
garden spread out along the way. Mr..
Waterman lives upon a small place
containing about six acres of land, with
q cosy little cottage house and the
other cenveniences which your Eastern
bred man is sure to have around him.
This place, however, is only rented,
and Mr.. Waterman has his farm proper
about mile and half further on,
where, in company with Mr. Thomp-
son. he owns a ranch of one hundred
and thirteen acres. On the homestead
property Mr.. Waterman has small
nursery which will be fortune in itself
before many years. He has large
number of Seeding forest trees, brought
from Wisconsin, Michigan, Ohio and
New York, of which he makes q spe-
calty. They consist of ash, beech,
American chestnut and several varie-
ties of maple. They have been brought
here at great expense and trouble, and
will require world of care still before
they become large enough to take care
of themselves. With very few eXcep-
tions, they are doing finely. They
will be ready to transplant by the
coming of next Winter, and will
then bring about fifty cents each.
For some of the varieties Mr..
Waterman has double and treble
the number of orders that he will be
able to fill. These same trees are sold
as high as a dollar and half apiece
in San Francisco. Much credit is due
Mr.. Waterman for the efforts which
he is making to introduce these new
varieties of trees into our country; it