Daily Los Angeles herald., 1879-01-09
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News"

letter dated from san Francisco
This spistls contains variation,
from rectangular truth which would
confer honor upon Munchausen,
aud, indeed, even upon Anderson,
Of tho Potter Investigating Com.
nlttoe, or his "co-parconer," Mrs
yenk4 The correspondent,3 who
gives no initial or other sign by
which he might be identified in his
infamy, writes under date Of De-
oembar 2lst. Here are some Of the
Afst aud most refreshing Of this
corFespondenCs statements:
Two weeks ago cold, boisterous
An benotre ting north wind bfo,
over The coast, blowing with o
loEoo tately known In this latitude.
For three days it blew over vine-
yard and orchard, garden and field
threatening all our semi-tropic al
vegetation with destruction. Then,
~ the f1ry Of the blast abated, the
most nipplng frosts succeeded and
morning after morning all nature
was found clad In q mantle OF
white. The mercury steadily fell
IN the thermometer with alarming
persistoncy, until in the northern
and eastern counties it ap-
proachod Zero. while In Santa Bar.
bara, Loa Angeles and San Diego,
our choicest garden regions, it
pArked but twelve to fifteen de-
groos above. There was good skat-
ing In districts where ice had hitn-
erfo been almost unknown. AS
far down ne Santa Barbara, for two
mornings in succession, ice enough
was gathered to freeze cream sue
ceenfu1ly. g6nch a visitation has
never before been known, and is
we'll calculated to alarm the most
auuteut SETTLERS .siF,F rom 81
We are entirely wnrra nted In say
ing that the beibgis not now alive
who ever Witnessed a LIS Angeles
county . tempsrature as low as 15o
Fahrenheit. Ouce in a while, at
long and scarcely remembered in.
tervalss the mercury descends to
the freezing point ard n degree OF
two below 1t, but these ,cousrenc ices
are rare indeed. A ten rerature OF
- OF 20 degrees would be marvel
thfoug ghout the length and breadth
Of Southern California. in the
valleys. The snow lies visible on
the tops Of our mountains, from
eight to fourteen thousand feet
high, but the valleys nesting al
their base are bathedin In a perpetual
sunshine during the day, and are
exposed, at midnight toa temper.
ature whose lowest range never
exceeds the figures we have men
toned.
But this correspondent by no
means exhausted himself in this
exalted fight OF fancy. Hear hin,
again: 4G8gt-
Those of the S,tn's readers who
have Travelled in Florida or Cuba
do notneed to be1told how beauti.
full o sight is an orange grove in
full fruit. just as the rich product
is assuming the golden hue oil
ripeness. On this coast artificial
irrigation is necessity, and it is
customary to shower the entire
tree. Now imagine u grove Of Or
ange trees, all laden, the rich yell
low fruit encased In o thin coating
of ice, and every leaf and twig
gIittering In the morning sunlight
with icy. pendants, the whole
flashing and sparkling with the
brilliancy OF diamonds, and you
have anidea Of the appearance of
the orange groves OF Los Angeles,
San Bernaldino, Santa Barbara
and San Diego on several morn
ings during this most un-Californi.
an weather. This brilliant specta-
Gle was witnessed In the lemon
and lime orchards as well, and 1t
attracted hundreds OF visitors,
some of them from great distances.
But 1t aroused gloomy forebod-
ings In tile minds OF the fruit
growers. 1t has been found, how
ever, that the oranges, lemons and
lines are not seriously injured,
though some young orchards, and
the younger trees in old orchards,
are doubtless killed. The ripening
crop of this year will be gathered
in good condition. But the bana-
mas have suffered badly. Both
trees and fruit are killed-blighted
as IL by sirocco. No reports
have been received from the fig
growing regions, back in the foot
hills, but it 10 thought that the
fruit has been gathered and that
che trees are sufficiently hardy to
Withstand the cold.
OF fqosd we have been informed
that IL is necessary TO 60 from
home to hear the news. We learn
from this yeracious correspondent
that part Of the irrigation of an Or
angs grove In this State is "to
shower the whole tree" This will
be- news to The Messrs. Rose, Titus,
Shorl. WoIfskill and others, who
have yearly sold oranges in the
California markets. 1t is needless
70 say 10 any Californian that the
tree isnever slioweresl. Trenches
are I aug at their feet into
which the water is led, and that
is all. It's also amusing TO sec him
classing Los Angeles county indif-
ferently With San Diego and Santa
Barbara counties rs orange pre-
ducing sections. The only orange
groves on the Pacific Coast deserv.
ing the nans are In Los Angeles
county, with the special exceptions
Of Guajoms In San Diego county,
some promising young orchards,
like those of Mr.. Phipps, in the