Daily Los Angeles herald., 1884-01-23
How Los Angeles Looked TO a
ScOtchman.

hftu CoioIuuuH ucscrt, tno ltuilhn-Ike
verlure and beauty of the city of Los
Angeles and its surroundings never fail
to impress themselves with pleasantly
refreshing emphasis. Indeed, the con-
,tsast between the pretty little metropo.
is of what is now tho garden county OF
Western America, and the desolate will.
derness by which it is approached, is so
striking as to have given rise to saying
amongst the people OF the Southern
States, which, as quoted to me by a
President of one OF the Texan railroads,
runs thus; "When one strikes Los An.
geles he strikes Paradise: but he has got
to 60 through Hades-[ [unrevised ver-
sion preferred by my authorityl-to get
TO it. -
The difficulties experienced by Pioneer
Angelehos in establishing the beautiful
orchards and vineyards which now
abound on every hand are pictured very
realistically by Mr.. Robertson.
Yet it is now but little more than a
score of years since such q saying could
have had any save the faintest raison
d'efre. All of that wonderful develop.
ment of the Southern California fruit
industries. the results of which are so
striking here, and 30 famous elsewhere
over the world; is q thing Of yesterday
the greater part, indeed, having to be
credited to the labors of the last decade.
Twenty years ago, few far-sighted
men. after prolonged residence and OBJ.
servation Of the country, dared to fore.
cast enormous capabilities in soil which
had then been untested, save perfuncto-
rlly, and, as to results, enthusiastically,
by the Spanish Mission Fathers. The
ideas of these men as they were formu-
lated were openly seofled at and derided
by the capitalists of the north. South.
ern California, 1t had long ago been laid
down there, was not country capable
OF cultivation, even for grain farming-it
might do, perhaps, for cattle running
wild over, but that was all-and from
such verdict there could clearly be no
appeal. Yet. greatly to their credit, and,
one is glad to think now, in most cases
to their final profit, the heretics of the
south held fast to the opinions they had
enumerated, and even proceeded in n
modestly bold way, to act upon them.
From kindly aud gallant Scottish gen
tleman-Mr. II. J. Stewart. now of
Los Angeles. to whom was greatly in.
debted during my stay for very many
conrtesies, and much valuable informa.
tion as TO the country, its his
tory and rcsources--I had vivid and
forcible account of the difficulties which
beset these early pioneers in their efforts
to place the fruit-growing industries on
apaying basis. The first experiments
We're naturally tentative and often un.
satisfactory. Since. in legal phrase,
there were no precedents for the fruit.
growers to fall back on, and there was
no teaching to be had as to proper meth
ods of planting or cultivation, trustwor.
thy knowledge on these points was only
to be obtained by slow and costly OK.
perience-supplemented in some in
stances, perhaps, by information gath.
cred from books and journals treating of
fruit culture in climates and under con.
ditions differing widely from those of
South California. Oranges had to be
raised from the seed, and the rules as to
the proper seasons for planting, irrigat-
ing, pruning-in short, all attending the
culture OF the tree, arrived Mt by patient
experiment. So also with the olive, fig.
peach, apricot, walnut, and all the long
list OF fruit trees now grown with so
much case and success; and so with the
culture of the finer varieties of grape,
without which the now large wine max.
ing industry could scarcely have had an
existence. Not only were these things
30, but the cultivation of the commoner
natural productions was in an exception.
ally backward state. Vegetables, eggs
and even dairy produce had to be i'm
ported from the north, and that into
country 80 abundantly suited for their
production Though that was then un.
dreampt of as now to supply, out of its
surplus, the greater part of the immense
mining Territories of Arizona and New
Mexico, and even to import into the
same quarters from which it formerly
exported.
The editor of the Scotsman next in.
dulges in series of statistics with which
our readers are familiar. His descrip.
ton of our climate is that of Travelled
man and an intelligent observer. 1t is
as accurate an account of meteorological
matters hereabouts as we have seen in
long while, and will be of special inter-
est to the stranger within our gates.
Mr. Robertson tells his codntrymen that
the climate of Los Angeles and of South
ern California generally is incomparably
better than that OF Southern Italy, and
we have heard the same remark from
hundreds of persons who have spent
some time at Nice, Mentone and the
Mediterranean coast OF Africa. We
again quote from our Scotch visitor;
Yet even with her splendid soil, aud
an ample supply of water secuted. South
ern California must have remained com
paratively undeveloped had she not been
possessed of her Incompatible climate
To say that it is perfset would be exag-
geratlve and misleading; but it is per-
haps as nearly so as that of any country
in the world. From January to Decem
Der the weather is such that work can
be carried ON out OF doors with comfort;
and wooden underclothing is worn almost
universally all the year round. And
this in semi.tropicaI land. There is,
in fact, no sharply defined succession of
seasons. The range of temperature in
Los Angeles, which may be taken as a
fair index of the country generally, is |
nominally large, the lowest recorded |
since the establishment OF the United |
States Signal Service being 2Ss, the high
est lO5'; but these are exceptional |
figures, and are only what one might call |
lndlces OF the possibilities of the eli.
mate. In six Winters since July, |
1871, the freezing point at CT feet
above the ground has only been
touched ten times-and ground frosts
have been registered on seventy morn
lngs in the same time, the coldest hour
being usually about sunrise. During
the Ike period the Thermometer regis
tered above 20 only on thirty-nine days.
The great charm of the climate is its
eVenness. spring, summer and winter
blend lmperceptbly into each 9th .r. and
all through the winter flowers and fruits
grow and flourish luXuriantly There
are certainly days in midsummer when
tue heat is great, the thermometer get.
ting up beyond 100 in the shade: but
the nights are invariably cool and re.
treshng, and blanket is always accept.
able for sleeping purposes. Sunstrolie is
unknown, and the extraordinary dryness
oi the atmosphere, by the rapid evapora
ton of perspiration, keeps the skin cool
and prevents appreciable discomfort SO
long us the Thermometer remains below .
30. There are, in all, four or live
spells each year, Of three to six days
each, called ''hot spells, generally in
May and June and in September, which
are pretty trying; but then the coolness