Connecticut western news., 1885-03-25
CALIFORNIA.
Aa Seen by @ Former E2esAaaMe @t Canaan, whO Spent Two YeSrs
 Am she Golden State.
0 H A F FER v.

On leaving the pig trees one can re- turn by the same route or by still keep ing to the southward visit the beautiful and far famed Yosemite valley, a de- scription of which would be more than our space or abilities will permit. An accurate description of the whole valley, | the way to get there, in fact everything | . visitor would want to know is found in Mir J. M. Hutchings' book entitled ''Scenes of Wonder and Curiosity in | California Mir Hutchings is the gen tlemanly proprietor of the Yosemite Valley hotel He does all in his power | to make the visitors stay in the valley pleasant and interesting.
 A little to the southeast of the Yose- mite will be found the Mariposa and Fresno groves of big trees. These art quite large but do not compare either in size or number with the Calaveras grove.
 Returning to Stockton by the way oi Murpheys, Milton and Linden we pas by great many fine grain farms, som' of them owned by New England peo- pie Mir Norman filling with his broth CT. Joseph filling, formerly of Nortl. Norfolk, Conn, own large tract ot land nearly on this route. We had the pleasure of spending two weeks with this gentleman, in the year 1878, and from him learned that he came to tn, state as Q Yankee schoolmaster," and after little time he took up some land, went to farming and remained at it since. Ills little homestead has grown to sev- eral hundred acres, and the settler's cabin to fine, substantial house, sm- rounded by large, productive orchard and vineyard. All of his eastern friends who may read this are assured that he s wealthy and content with his place.
 California has diversified population and you will find representatives oi every state in the Union and also of every nation on the globe, excepting, p perhaps, the Esquimaux. In the cities, especially San Francisco, one IS sur prised with the varied costumes and features that are daily met, many still xstaiuing their native dress and man ITS; of this class the heather Chinee predominates. Go where you will yon will find John Chinaman employed al all but the mechanical trades, and fol all of the strong prejudice against hin there is considerable to be said in hiss favor. They never go tramping around~ the country, begging, or get drunk. in public at least; are always neat and clean and pay cash for all they buy. Their principal occupation is waiters, cooks and washermen. Being prohibited by the new state law to work for any corporation or company keeps them from all public work in the cities, all railroad work and mining, still they seem to live and gain wealth in spite of Dennis Kearney and his rabble of Sand Lot adhelents. This gentleman (Den- ais Kearney) favored California with specimens of Sand Lot oratory and even came East with nigh expectations. Not receiving as much homage as he thought he deserved he returned and subsided to his proper place, a city drayman. Laws concerning the Chinese immigra- ton have been made and good deal of talking done, but how near they have come to solving the Chinese problem re- mains to be seen.
 Let us now take look over San Joa- quin valley. What is known as the west side there is of but little interest. From the bays south for the next 100 mlles is usually bare plain, little rain falling, and having crop but about three years out of ten. On the east or opposite side the aspect is changed somewhat. A rail road runs south from Lathrop, on the Central Pacific, to Los Angeles. This is the Southern Pacific, on which are number of fine towns and colonies, Mo desto, Merced, Fresno and Tulare City being the principal ones. At Fresno there is a colony of eastern people and they are in Aourishing condition. The town is well laid out and is the county seat of Fresno county. There Is good land about it, and with the use of water from irri- -zas;ag ditches brings forth heavy crops of wheat, barley and alfalfa, or Chilian clover. This alfalfa is valuable crop, as it can be cut two or three times year and is equally good for cattle and horses and hogs fatten nicely on it. It was imported to California for many years from Chili in South America. There is some alkali in this section but it is turned to some account in raising the sugar beet. Thousands of tons of these beets gre made into sugar every year in California. Just outside of Sac ramento is large sugar mill which can use 90 tons of these beets daily, which yield about 13i per cent of saccharine matter. The refuse is mixed with other feed and used to fatten hogs and cattle. There arc several smaller mills in the state and all together furnish 75 per cent of all the sugar used in the state. It usually takes two years to mature the beet and they grow to an immense size. we have been told that some have grown to 100 pounds weight. Farmers who are within reasonable distance of sugar mill plant their alkali land to these s,~asa which thrive in that kind of soil, sud they absorb the sIksli salts from the