Los Angeles daily herald., 1875-06-29

ways thankful when correspondents
will tell the truth about their settle
ment. They have been at work near
ly four years, and have certainly ac-
complishet something worth speaking
of, and they are perfectly satisfied with
a true picture without any sky blue or
rose-colored edging. There are seven
ty-five families in Westminster, set
tied on small farms, averaging about
forty acres.
THE SOIL.
The soil is black, sandy loan,
which, when left to itself, produce a
heavy growth of grass, nearly all the
year. The water rises to within few
feet of the surface, and the artesian
flow is found at an average depth OF
one hundred feet. There are over sew
enty wells now flowing, and the sup
ply is still abundant. There is not a
forty-acre tract in the settlement that
has not more or less alkali on it, and
some of the unimproved land is ruined
by the excessive quantity of alkali.
On most of the tracts, however, the
alkali is distributed in such small
quantities that it damages none ofthe
crops, and it is generally regarded as a
benefit. The statements made about
this alkali have been one of their just
causes of complaint, and the above
brief statement may be taken as the
literal truth about the matter. a pc
culiarity of the soil is the constant
change f,om the lighter sand to the
heavier loam within short distances.
The changes do not seem to affect the
quality of the land, as the crops grow
equally well OH either soil.
EARLY AND LATE FROsTs.
A real disadvantage that Westmin-
ster has to contend against is the early
and late frosts. This is apt to destroy
young and tender plants, but trees
with a good growth remain uninjured.
This is nuisance and drawback,
but it does not hinder the people from
prosperng, as the facts | shall give
will SHOW. Westminster is thus far
almost entirely a farming country,
and the experiment of raising the
semi-tropical fruits has not been fully
tested. The older settlers think there
is every probability of success, even in
ORANGE RAISING.
The fact oftenest presented against this
is the nearness of the water to the sur
face. 1 have been told, however, by
reliable parties who have travelled in
Florida, that many of the most sue
cessful orange orchards there are
planted on land where the water rises
within two or three feet of the surface.
This being the case, Westminster
need not fear on that account, as the
water is generally at a depth of from
five to seven feet. Certain it is that
Mr.. Geo. Dunskin's eight hundred
four year old orange trees look nearly
as well as any in the county.
THE VINEYARDS.
1t is claimed that grape culture con-
not succeed here. Mr.. Dunskin has
over seventeen acres of white muscat
grapes, that look as though they ought
" uU sum ethfIg. I conntcd nineteen
perfect bunches Of grapes on one vine.
/ did not count any others, as they
present very uniform appearance.
Mr.. Dunskin never has watered his
grapes, and yet, in the second year,
they bore five, six, seven and eight
pounds to the vine. He wants some
one to build an Alden Dryer in West.
minister. His lemon trees have been
greatly damaged by the frost, so he
intends to bud the stocks from bearing
orange trees, that stand the frost bet
ter. He has surrounded his orchards,
averaging about two and a half acres
each, with hedges of willow. These
are to protect from the heavier winds
that sometimes blow from the coast, a
few miles distant.
GENERAL CROP.
The barley crop this year will aver
age over fifty bushels to the acre. The
corn fields, which they are just begin
ing to irrigate, are as flourish
ing as they could possibly be.
The corn stands from seven to ten
feet high, and the people are ready to
measure stalks and yield with the corn
raisers of Los Nietos, Santa Ana and
Gospel Swamp.
The yield of potatoes is very great,
They are large and clean in appear
ance, and are delicious eating. The
largest story told me about the raising
of potatoes here, was given on the hon.
or of q gentleman by Mr.. Robb. He
showed me piece of land containing
twenty rods, from which he has sold
seventy-four dollars worth of potatoes
this season. The people here will not
starve, at any rate. So far as tried,
the raising of apples, peaches, and 9TH
er staple fruits has been successful.
The two year old apple trees have now
a fine crop of young apples on them.
The Kentish cherry has been success
full, other varieties have not been
tested. The almond orchards look
we'll, and altogether the fruit prospect
is very encouraging.
BUSINESS FIRMs-CIvIC SOCIETIES.
The two business firms of Westmin-
ster, are those of Messrs. Robb & Mar
quis, and the Cooperative Company.
The Cooperative Company are erect
ing handsome two story building,
for q store and lodge building. A
movement is on foot to establish a
Masonic Lodge here, and if successful,
the lodge room will be occupied by the
Changers, Masons, and the Church
societies in turn. Messrs. Robb &
Marquis are two gentlemanly and en-
terprising young men, who are fight
ing it out in the business line on their
own hook, and are building up large
trade.
There is large Chinese veg
etable garden here that keep three
or four teams busy in all directions.
Westminster is a success. The peo-
pie are determined that their growth
shall be substantial, and hence their
determined stand against putting"
They want more settlers of the right
kind, but they want every newcomer
f<s Io4l Oil L - L.