Daily Los Angeles herald., 1883-10-28
SUNDAY SESSION.
The Rain and it's Lessons.

Hon. j. F. Crank, OF Fair Oaks. was
in the city yesterday. He reports a
rainfall on Friday night of lib inches.
At Kinneloa, across the ravine from Mr..
Crank, the rainfall is reported at ] .23
inches. At San Fernando an inch and
half; at Newhall, two inches; at Spa
dra, two inches; at Pasadena, l.20 inches.
In this city the rainfall was l.37 inches.
Several showers ranged through the
mountains yesterday, and the barome-
ter was low all day, with rains all the
way from Puget Sound to San Francisco.
At Santa Barbara there was a liberal
downpour, and at San Bernardino there
was series of heavy showers that set
the mountain streams all booming.
About three weeks ago the rains be-
came frequent in the northern part of
the State, when the HERALD announced
that the progression of the seasons
would bring Los Angeles into the regular
rainbelt that was passing from the Pacific
to the Atlantic in about three weeks.
That time has expired, the progression
has been accomplished and the rainy
belt has come down to our degree of
north latitude. 1t will still move south
ward for the next seven weeks, and
doubtless give the country thorough
irrigation. The effect of the rain was
to make little mud in the streets, but
the air was cleansed of smoke and dust
and made delicious to inhale.
At this writing the barometer is still
greatly huniliated, as il it must endure
more rain or wind. The grain-growers
are well out of the way of the rain, with
their crops well secured; but the raisin-
makers and other grape-growers are not
yet out of the way. and will be put to
some Inconvenience by these heavy
downpours.
The great grain-growers will now go
forward in their work of clearing, plow-
ing and planting, and with another
shower of equal copiousness will be en-
abled to plow up deep the old tracks and
trails that have distigured their fields
for the last three years.
A very wet season is necessity to
those who wish to break up the old cat
tie trails and rowing roads, that have
been forming for century over
our rich plains, and are almost as
hard as rock; and the prospect now ap-
pears to be that thousands of acres of
these old useless roads will this year be
broken up and made fruitful with wheat,
barley, orchards and vineyards. At the
same time the Board of Supervisors will
find it good time to make the county
roads, and turnpike them properly to
take the place of these old winding ways
now plowed up.
A rainy season means a season for
work, for great permanent improvement
in the making Of ROADS, the brea king Of
unplowed land and the planting of a
million of fruit and forest trees. With
a rainfall of twenty-five inches our coun-
ty roads could all be planted with Gu
calyptus trees which in a few months
would be an ornament to the country.
1t is noticeable that none of our county
roads laid out by the Supervisors, haye
been regularly ornamented with shade
trees. In some places, at Pasadena,
Placentia, Orange and Santa Ana, some
Of the settlers have planted the trees
and furthermore made the roads for the
Supervisors. But thoFe is no public
spirit in the business at the present
time. because there has been some little
cost and friction in making the roads
and raising the shade trees, but with a
season of heavy rain these objections
would be very small and easily over
come. 1t is time now to think of these
things, and il Providence gives an
abundance of rain we should do our part
to utilize il and beautify the land. The
people should be aroused to do something
Of public nature this winter and the
sooner it is begun the better.