The Middlebury register. [volume] (Middlebury, Vt.) 1850-1882, 1874-09-15
CALIFORNIA.

SANTA Rosa, Cal, Aug. 10, 1874.
Mr.. Armstrong has been spending
number Of mouths looking over California,
and has written a series of very interest
ing letters from there, for the Country
Gentlemen, nnder the title OF Searching
for home" we give the ninth letter be.
low, and from all the information we could
get when in California, we believe Mr..
Armstrong has expressed the truth in
nut shell in his closing sentence.
California is looking its worst. There
has been no rain for months. The face
Of the country is bare and brown. The
roads are dusty, but not worse than roads
anywhere else in dry season. There
has been an unvarying round of clear
lays all summer. But the temperature
varies from - deg. to s. deg. Indian
corn is maturing finely All sorts Of gar.
den products are ripening, and the mar.
scts are aa beautifully provided with veg.
o'ables and fruits as could possibly be
lone five had The regulation showers and
thunder storms Of the Atlantic coast.
People here have no use for Old Proba.
bilities and his weather predictions. They
are not published at all, A barometer is
supcrhuity where there is no rain. But
there is a cor pepsatioD for the dryness
ol the climate in the regular moisture.
laden sea breezes, which reach inland more
than fifty miles. Beyond their influence,
aud that Of the iogs, corn does not suc.
ceed so well. Yet there are strange pro.
pcrties Of this soil which stimulate yeget-
alton to powerful growth, notwithstanding
the absence oil rain, After all, California
landscapes are beautiful exceedingly. The
purity OF the air, the rugged grandeur Of
the mountains, and the rich coloring of
valleys clothed with golden harvests Of
grain, find no parallel in my memories o.
travel.
At the head Of the Sonoma valley il
Hoods ranch. originally containing 49,.
600 acres Of land. lie purchased the
property for IS, 900, it is said in 1852
1t Is, perhaps one of the best ranches il
the State considering climate, soil, i'm
provements and products. The long pc
Rod Of occupancy has enabled him t,
build substantially with stone and brick
to plant every variety of fruits grown OF
the Pacific coast, and to witness It's per
feet growth. His dwelling and wine eel
lars are located at the foot of q lofty an
rugged mountain which shelters the mort
side Of the valley, From a spring IN
water is conveyed wherever required ant
escapes in fountain near the house Th
grounds aronnd the dwelling are orna
mented with groves of shrubs and flower,
The rarest greenhouse fruits and plant
grow here in the open air-oleanders
century plants, lemon verbenas, IA shru
five feet high, geraniums ten feet high
and numerous gaily Towering plants IN
vines, new and unknown to the writer
There are also some orange trees bearn
the second crop The vineyard contain
about 100000 vines in full bearing, iror
which Mr.. Shaw, the superintendent sal
they expected to make 10000 gallons Q
wine. 1t is made by native Of Nader
Who stated in answer to question abou
the climate that this is much the same O
his native island. About thirty laboreI
are employed on the ranch. Some wer
busy With the wheat harvest, and Other