Mexico weekly ledger., 1885-03-05
OPEN LETTER FROM CALIFORNIA,
From Wallace Maefarlane.

promised 10 write to you hut have
been very negligent in complying
with my promise. l will now try tol
tell you few things about this coun-
try. It has the most delightful eli
mate ever saw, especially the SOUTH
ern part of the state, where oranges
are now at their fullest bearing. | do
not think the southern country comes
up TO Audrain, leaving out the climate.
In the first place they can raise
nearly anything successfully with
out irrigation. But last year being
an exceedingly wet year (for this
country trees and vines did well.
Secondly, the people are not reliable,
many of them are immpral and un-
truthful, and will do vast amount of
able-bodied lying to beat you out Of
any amounGin trade. This is es-
pecially true in real estate trades.
Land is very high, running from a
hundred to sixteen hundred dollars an
acre, the latter price being paid for
land set III oranges, and the first for
raw land. Los Angeles is beautiful
little city of $4,000 people. The city
is lighted by electricity and gas, has
several water companies, two street
car lines and numerous other i'm
provements. One can see the elec-
trio lights, which are on masts $50
feet high, thirty miles off. All the
suburbs of the city are orange Or
chards, which are very pretty, espe-
cially In the orange season when the
trees are covered with dark green
foliage and yellow fruit. 1t is sigh'
worth seeing. 1t is fun to see the
Yankees from New England going
around with eyes and mouth open
taking everything in until they get
s'taken in" by some land shark and
then they have quite different look.
We left Los Angeles for San Fran
cisco by steamer Santa Rosa on Dec.
4th, which was a vely pleasant day.
The first part of the voyage was nice
but the latter part was very rough,
and the rest of the family did not
enjoy it for they were too sick to en-
joy anything; l was not sick at al
and had '.boss" time. We arrived
in San Francisco on Saturday. the
9th. 1t is one of the e:irtiest cities |
ever saw. and has very r"ugh street,
in the business part, which makes ii
unfit for pleasure driving. In the af-
ternoon we visited Wootiward's Gar
dens and had a nice time. Their.
were trees and flowers of every de-
scripilnn, animals and birds AMI 4
very fine aquarium. We stopped in
San Francisco but one day and caln'
up to Woodland on December 9TH
We arrived here on a very disagreea
BILE day; the wind was blowing ant
the dust flying. Woodland Is a beau
tlful little cit of 5000 inhabitants
1t is sc miles from San Francisco ans
is the wealthiest town III the Unite'
States, size considered. We have gas
two water companies, a steam fir
engine and will have electric lights il
about q month. There are many fin
residences, some of them regula
mansions. One of the two banks ha
q capital of $500, 900. How is tl,a
for small town? The finest hnte
here cost $50. 900; it is a very prett
building. The business houses an
the school buildings do not near CON
pare with those of Mexico. w
have a good college of which Prot
A. nj. Elston, formerly of Cnlnmbi:
is president; he is very fine teache
Chas. Dingle, of Mexico, is superir
tendent Of the public schools; he
also a fine teacher. There are abou
as many business houses here as
Mexico and great many more S:
looms; there are. believe. about
of them. The town is improvin
Sright along. There will be mol
buildings here this spring than ev'
before. The new opera house, whic
cost S35 900, was opened last wee
by Sheridan who played three of h
best plays. We did not freeze whi
attending the show.
We have had splendid weath'
since we have been here, having Sc
eral slight frosts like you have in tt
latter part Of April. There has bet
inches of rain so far this winte
There is generally about Is inches
winter. Wheat and harley are s
sown and up and looking fin
Grazing is good now but the gra
will be all dried up by the latter pa
of June, but cures on the groul
and makes good hay. Alfalfa is t
main green feed for cows and horse
1t is kind of clover and yields fl
crops year, bearing two tons ca
time. Alfalfa has to he watereti
summer or it will not grow. Whes
barley, alfalfa and wild oats are
used for hay and arc good. T
country is Very level and when t
Sacramento river ''gnts on tear"
Comes within four miles of tow
which it did about two months ae
The land is very fertile in this cou
ty and yields big crops Haying |
gins in May and wheat harvest in
middle of June threshers foil,
the headers and continue to run IN
the first of November, thus enabli
aman to get work the greater part