St. Johnsbury Caledonian. [volume] (St. Johnsbury, Vt.) 1867-1919, 1886-07-15
PLEASANT WORDS FROM THE
WEST.

PLEASANT WORDS FROM THE
WEST.
Dear Caledonian 1t is not necessa-
nv to tell you about any part of this
Western country, for you are great
traveller, and wherever a st. Johnsbury
boy or Caledonia county family is res
ident, there once a week you are sure
to come with clean and smiling face,
telling all the news worth knowing
from the ever loved towns among the
hills of Vermont. Every time you
come you are welcome. The service
you render your town and county is
greater than you may imagine. Through
you we hear the voices of our friends
three thousand miles away. Through
changes and improvements of the town.
You take us into town meeting, into
church at Christmas or Easter, into
concerts and lectures. You enable us
old academy boys to find our way
through the halls and recitation rooms
of our alma mater so unlike the rooms
where we studied, in-well it wasn't
last year. Out on these Western
shores we heard the ninety strokes
that told of patriarch departed, and
with uncovered beads we were present
at the patriarch's burial. But you do
more than draw us close to the scenes
of our boyhoOd. You keep us inform
ed about that larger st. Johnsbury
which knows no geographical limits.
You help us to look into the faces of
old st. JOhnsbury friends in Boston,
New York, Chicago, Minneapolis, Oma-
ha, st. Louis, Kansas City, Florida and
California. Nay, even, you annihilate
the seas and bring far distant friends
very near. Thus st. JOhnsbury is to
us absent ones cO-existent with the
world, and the Caledonian is doing us
good service by keeping alive our love
for the maple clad streets and hillsides
and our interest in one another. But,
as you were never more alive and
vigorous than to-day, must not de-
vote more time to eulOgy.
This fruitful Vaca valley is situated
30 from Sacramento. Its warm sun
shine, its uDbefogged sky, its rich soil,
make it the home of early fruit, while
the heavy rains of winter so permeate
the soil that irrigation is unnecessary
as in many other fruit regions of the
state. 1t is but few years since fruit
culture became a speciality here, but
such success has attended it that thou
sands of acres have been set out to
trees and vines, and the acreage is an
nually increasing. The shipment of
fruit from Vacaville railroad station
alone up to the 25th of this month has
amounted to two million and half
pOunds-a daily average of fifty tons.
Each succeeding year, as trees now
young begin to come into bearing, will
witness an increase of fruit raised here,
and the recently organized California
Fruit Union will secure cheap trans
pOrtatiOn and a wide market east of
the Rocky mountains. Thus the pros
pect is good that if Vermont will feed
us ON good maple sugar, California
will feed you OH luscious fresh fruit.
1t is very pleasant for US, coming up
from Oakland for few weeks, to find
that we are not out of that larger st.
JOhnsbury of which l have spoken.
In the house with us are Mr.. and Mrs.
r. p. Duff Mrs. Duff will be remem-
bered pleasantly by many in ST. Johns
bury as Miss Belle Tower. Mr.. Duff
has fine orchard, yet young. He also
has charge of another young orchard.
On Sunday, and often through the
week, we meet those whose friends in
st. JOhnsbury are legion, Rev. H. w.
Jones and family. On their little fruit
ranch of one acre, in their own home,
newly built, they plan for California,
while they recall Vermont, and while
making many warm friends here they
do not forget the old ones there.
The young church to which Mr..
Jones ministers is sure to grow in the
coming months and years. Both Mr.
and Mrs. Jones, as was to be expected,
are very highly esteemed in their
Western parish, and the improved con-
ditiOn of Mr.. Jones' health is evidence
of the wisdom of a change of climate
Sooner or later, we expect all good
Vermenters to emigrate to California,
for the spring months at least.
II. Z. JEwETT.
Vacaville, SOlano Co., CAL, June %,
1886.
THE FARM HAND.