The united opinion. [volume] (Bradford, Vt.) 1881-1970, 1885-01-16
WINTER IN CALIFORNIA.
How the Weather Differs from Winter IN
Now England.
[San Francisco Builetin.l


Now England.
tSan Francisco Builetin.l
After Thanksgiving, winter. In tn
Atlantic states, east OF the Hudson
good sleighing is expected at this date
Here nothing more than q few whit
frosts indicate that winter has come
There have been frosts in the low
lands during the past week. Las
night the frost crept up on tic billsides .
little. The crystals lay on the plank side
walks in the suburban towns and spanked
as the rays of the rising sun touched
them. For a moment or two there were
millions OF diamonds, then small drops Of
water, and then nothing. But the frost
makes crisp mornings, and coal OF
| wood fire most enjoyable morning and
evening--the wood fire especially. More.
over, the frosts help to color the foliage,
although in this country the dcciduous
trees drop the greater part of their foil
age before the frosts come. The soft
naples, elms, white birches and locust
trees, which have been naturalized here,
for the most part, have cast their leaves.
Yet the naples take on wreath of color
before the leaves fall; so the frost does
not do all the coloring. Even the
eucalyptus, which casts its leaves at
midsummer and continues dropping
them until late in autumn, has wealth
of color which is hardly noticed. The
coniferous trees prevail so largely in
California that the high colors of decid-
uOus trees which grow on the hillsides
and mountain slopes of eastern states
are rarely seen here. Yet in every dell
after the first frosts have come in this
latitude, one may find patches of color
shading off from gold to scarlet, with a
great many subdued tones, which
artists, who are good colorists, do not
fail to notice. The frs and the pines
clothe many of the mountains in eternal
green. When they are bare, they are as
desolate as in Spain until the vernal
season sets in.
The first rains have already come.
But the winter rains have not yet APP
peared. There is sort of hush between
the autumn and winter. If one goes to
the wood, he will hear hardly any other
sound than that of the harsh and OBJ
streperous bluejay. Here and there will
be tapping on the trunks, and an oc-
casional squirrel descends to see what
provision in the way of acorns there
may be left on the ground. In the open,
where the ground iasctt, there arc the
tracks of the sneaking coyote. Even
owls cease in measure to boot in the
winter season, and tho mournful sound
of doves has altogether ceased. a great
silence has fallen upon the woods.
There is hardly a singing bird. The
two months ago were so active in feast
ing on the ripe fruit, beginning even
earlier with cherries, and continuing
until the last ripe pear had disappeared,
have become silent also. No more
songs and no more depredations, for the
good reason that there is nothing to
steal, and the pairing season has not
begun. The white frosts are the fitting
of winter. They precede
the heavier rains.
The trade winds have died out. They
will not prevail in this latitude before
the middle of next May. Some are un-
kind enough to say that it is pity that
they should ever prevail. But these
WluOS dIc Cuo LOIu SCdNtuStIS, ocIlt up
as so many messengers from the salt
ocean to deliver the city from plaques
md pestilence. San Francisco has not
oeen clean city from the day of its
foundation. There is Oriental dirt, and
Occidental dirt. 1t has come to be a
oreign city. Merchandise fills the side
walks, and in many places crowds the
pedestrian into the street. Offal is
brown there. The six months trade
Winds of summer and the six months 6
ain are the two sanitary agents which
Keep watch and ward over the city. The
most dangerous weeks of the year. on
he score of health, are those when
neither the trade winds nor the rains
prevail. The winter season being less
pronounced in this latitude, there is less
disposition to store up anything All
he season is open, and even now the I
ees are making honey, or are going to (
OBJ other hives. For in this state even ;
he bees have caught the spirit of the
They get a part of their I
oney honestly, and, as to the rest, they '
10 not scruple to get it dishonesty.