Watertown republican. [volume] (Watertown, Wis.) 1860-1906, 1888-02-15
"THE LAND OF CANAAN
which the American horticultural Society |
Endorses with Enthusiasm.
Special correspondence

| in session at Cleveland OHIO, last year, voted
| to old their eighth annual session at San jose
| California, they "builded better than they
| knew" That is the universal testimony of the
| delegates here who, by coming have escaped
| the terrible blzzards raging east of the Rocky
| Mountains, and at the same time have come
| to the spot where Horticulture Is on it's native
| heath, and challenges comparison with the
| world, without fear Of the result
San Jose, where the Association has Just
| held its session, is the county seat of Santa
| Clara County, and the center OF all the Santa
| Clara Valley. Its Mexican history dates back
| over one hundred years, but Mexican history
| was a half-civillzed, progressive era
| which does not count for much, and no Cali
| fornia town has a history worth recording
earlier than 49, 1t is notable that the spot
| where San Jose is located attracted attention
| at early date, both from the Mexicans and
| Americans The Mexicans were attracted
there in TIT, and the Jesuits located mis-
sion at Santa Clara, three miles distant the
| same year.
When, in 1S49, the gold discoveries attracted
| Americans in large numbers to California,
San Jose WAS instantly recognized as an adj
| vantageous point. Consequently, the first
| constitutional convention, which convened at
| Monterey the temporary capital, selected
| San Jose as the capital of the State, and the
] first California Legislature met in this city.
in those early days the capital was a great
| bone of contention, and San Jose finally
| lost it.; but the fact remains that the
1
| the early pioneers, while the removal was due
to political and real-estate influences
| The visiting horticulturists heartily IN
| dorse the Judgment of the early pioneers.
| We find here a beautiful and home-like city
of 10000 people, the fifth in size in the State,
| Wide streets, paved and macadamzed; cleo
| tric-light towers, street railroads, and an
| electric street railroad nearing completion;
| churches aud schools in abundance; charm
| ing drives, and in the city and county COM
| bined many more notable points than is ordi-
narily vouchsafed one locality.
NOTABLE POINTS.
| The State Normal School, located in beau
| tful tract OF land, thirty acres in extent do
mated by the city, averages 545 pupils. This
| institution was visited by the Horticultural
| Association in body, as were many other
| points of interest Here, too, is the Convent
| of NOtre Dame, with two or three hundred
| pupils. Within two miles is the University of
| the Pacific, extensive Methodist ms titution,
| with 800 pupils. At Santa Clara, three miles
| distant, Is the famous school of the Jesuit
Fathers, with 400 pupils. These, with five
| San Jose and Santa Clara County; but these
| do not comprise all Within the county and
twelve miles distant from San Jose is
| Palo Alto, where Senator Stanford is
| building the Leland Stanford-Junor Uni
verslty, as monument to his deceased SON
| an only child, who died while travelling in Eu-
| rope. Senator Stanford has endowed the insti-
| ton to the extent of 800 DOC, 600, making it
financially the strongest institution in the
| country. With such endowment there is
| no doubt it will also be the strongest intel
| lectually when completed, as SO magniticently
| planned. In addition to the university Sena-
| tor Stanford has here his country seat and
| world-famous stables, where the finest run
ming and trotting stock in this country IS pro-
| duced Fifteen hundred acres, over 500
| horses, and buildings and employees in pro-
portion, give a faint idea of the extent of
| these sta bes. A night school for the boys and
| rational a
| the grounds.
| THE LICK TELESCOPE
Many Of the HOrticulturlsts enjoyed
! delightful drive-albeit there was thin coat
of mud on the road-to Mt. Hamilton twenty
| four miles distant This is the site of the
| Lick telescope and observatory. San Jose
| and vicinity seem to have been especially
favored by public enterprises. James Lick,
| Pennsylvania bachelor, was attracted to
| California by the gold fever of 40 and, as
| the saying goes he STRUCK it rich" His
mining work and investments were especially
fortunate, He lived, personally, in very
| parsimonlous manner, and his increasing
| fortune was never diminished by any luxury
| for himself. In spite of such life,
he provided in his will to turn his
great property over to trustees for
public institutions; and the greatest of all
was 100000 which was to be devoted to this
| observatory. The lenses for the telescope were
only put in place few weeks ago, though it
| is twelve years since Lick's death, and eight
| tory was vigorously begun. San Jose is but
| ninety feet, while the observatory is over
| 1900 feet above the sea level It is literally
a monument to the founder, for his remains
lie under the marble pier, which, thanks to
his hberallty, supports the most powerful
| telescope in the world The visit to Mt Ham,
| ilton was one which every one enjoyed This
| trip will be pilgrimage for visitors to San
Jose for all time, and fifty so, for the great
| telescope is one of the wonders of the world
In fact, it is bringing scientific men to see it
| from distant foreign countries as well as from
all portions of our own.
QUICKSILVER MINES.
Twelve miles from San Jose we find the
New Almaden quicksilver mines, which have
no equal in the world save the Almaden mines
in Spain The existence of this rich ore was
known to the Spaniards in 1924, but it was
not until 1854 that work was Systematically
begun. No gold mines in the State have
proved 80 uniformly productive, and the net
| earnings of these mines are between three and
four million dollars per year The mines
have penetrated $500 feet below the surface
of the earth, and are still going The plant,
or machinery for carrying on the great work,
is something tremendous, and well worthy
long journey to inspect
Deposits Of asphalt found in the county af-
ford San Jose cheap sidewalks and fine street
paving. 1t will in time vie with Washington
in asphalt pavement, and this. too, without
the importation from foreign lands, as was
the case at the National Capital.
Inc parkS anu pl6dSanI urlV6S properly
come under the head of "notable points, but
in reality they are too numerous to notice in
detail You simply cannot go in any direction
from San Jose without finding attractive
drives, and some of them are positively en-
chanting
THE HORTICULTURAL ASSOCIATION
1t was really difficult to secure full at
tendance upon the Horticultural Association,
many were engaged in outdoor roamings
and sightseeing. It was such a marked con-
trast to lowering over huge fires or wading IN
snow encased in buffalo overcoats that the
delegates seemed to want to make the most of
their time by enjoying the open air or visiting
the horticultural fair, which was in progress.
Still there was much interest in the proceed
ings, and an interchange of information and
experience which cannot fail to be valuable
to all in attendance.
The sessions were presided over by Parker
Earle, of Coblen, H., and continued for
three days. President Earle's annual address
contained the following explanation of why
they were here:
1t was nearly fifty years ago that had my
first dream of horticultural paradise, as 1
read, in the good old Bible story, the report of
that exploring committee which Moses sent out
to search the land of Canaan, and spy out it's
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