The Arkansaw traveler., 1888-01-28
"HUSH, CHILDREN, YER PAS
 TALkIN'."
Peck's Sun.

that country is getting a black eye from the elements. People from the east are writing home letters that do not paint the lovely climate as it has been painted heretofore. There are stories to the effect that greater storms have been known this season than have ever been known before. Not long ago there came small dispatch to the effect that wind storm near Los An geles had blown down a hotel and that several lives had been lost, and that was all the information the dis patch gave, as it was not, of course, to the interest of the locality to say too much about storms in a climate so genial. But letters from visitors and tourists to friends back in the states tell o1 perfect cyclone that ragged for five days, blew down buildings, pros- trated many fruit trees, and knocked off hundreds of thousands of dollars worth of oranges. l have seen gen. tleman who was at Pasadena at the time, and while he does not wish to peddle bad news, he says that he ac- tually thought for several days that every house would be leveled to the ground. I have written to a friend who is there to learn the truth about the cyclone stories, and also about the the story of the "white scale" which has appeared on the orange trees of that lovely locality, which is said to be a serious rawback, as it will be necessary, in order to eradicate the "scale," to cut down all the orange trees and burn them. When I was there, two years ago, red scale had appeared on the trees in many groves, which was looked upon as a calamity, and efforts were being made to destroy the vermin. The white scale is even worse, and the people are said to charge that it has been brought from Australia by enemies who are jealous of the popularity of southern California, though it does not seem possible the lovely country has any enemies that would go to the trouble of doing such a thing. That would be meaner than poisoning mans dog. However, it is evident that things are not as boom- ing in southern California as they have been the past few years. More tourists than ever have gone there this winter, and there are thousands of towns plated, and great facilities are offered for investments, but there is belief back in the states that there are not so many investments being made as formerly. This may not argue at all against the genial climate, and it may be just as good home as ever for people who cannot live in the cold north, but such storms as have been mentioned will have bad effect on the country. The fact that Mrs. Alexander Mitch ell, ofthis city, who went to Califor- mia with an idea of giving up her Florida home, and who has gone back to Florida contented to remain there, may have had something to do with the feeling that certainly exists, that California is losing her grip. One can readily sec how Mrs. Mitchell, who left her beautiful palace on the St. Johns river, in Florida, across the river from Jacksonville, and who had to take her chances at wretched ho- tels in California, might sigh to get back there, and be contented when she did get back. Florida has been neglected for two or three years, while the people have rushed to California. believe that southern California will always be the favorite place for those out of health, who would build homes to live in always, but Florida will again become the great resort of thousands who want to get away for a couple of months in winter and spring, because they can get to Florida in forty eight hours, from Chicago, or sooner, and to go to California there is a week on the road, both going and coming. If the people of Florida, and the railroads running there, will show half the enterprise that have been shown by the people of California, and the railroads rum ming there, the narrow state on the southern coast can have as many people from the north in the winter as she can accommodate, and California will not be injured in the least. Some of the schemes to build cities in California too sudden, may be warped little, some booms may fail to materialize, many promising speculations will come to nought, but a healthy growth will be better than a crazy boom. Property there has been too high. There has never been any sense in front foot in Los Ange- les being higher than in Chicago or New York, and somebody is going to get left. There must be rattling of dry booms in southern California, and when the locality gets settled down to business, it will be good place to live and do business. As it has been for year or two, people will go out there for their health, to cure con- sumption, for instance. have got the