Iowa County democrat. [volume] (Mineral Point, Wis.) 1877-1938, 1888-01-20
TIL Climate of Southern California
By Charles Dudley Warner.

But it is seldom cold in the Needles and
the Mohave Desert,-a shimmering aka
line waste: So in March, and say 100" 10
1902 in July. 1t does not matter. The
few people in the far-apart stations live
in houses that have second detached
roof, put on like the fly of a tent and the
heated, desolate passage Is provldentIal
arrangement to lower the spirits of the
traveller to the en- oyment OF the irrigated
country recovered from the desert, in
Southern California. 1t is a veritable
parF disc, as really such as the oasis of
Fayoum in Egypt. Heavens! how the
human eye does crave the green color;
how grateful it is for a field of barley,
straight eucaly plus tree, vines and roses
mbering over the houses, the lustrous
foliage of the orange groves starred with
globes of gold! This is Paradise. And
the climate? Perpetual summer (but
daily rising in price,. There is 10 doubt
of this when you reach the San Gabriel
Valley, Pasadena, and Los Angeles.
Avenues of eucaly ptus, pepper, and or
ange trees, two, three, four rows of them,
seven and eight miles long; vast plumed
fields of oranges; the vine stubs In the
grape plantations beginning to bud; bar
ley fodder (the substitute for hay well up
and verdant; palettos and other semi
tropical plants, and all the flowers, and
shrubs, and vines, gay, rampant, vigorous
over blooming, In dOoryards, gardens,
overrunning trees and hOuses,-surely it
is summer. There % snow sprinkled on
the bare, ashy hills, but everywhere in the
plain is water, from the unfalling noun
tain springs, running in wooden condults
and bitches. You can buy this water at
20 hVtr
climate and water,-the land is thrown in.
1t i. warm in the suD,-the thermometer
nay indicate 100; it is even hot, walking
out through the endless orange planta-
lions and gardens that surround Los An
COLES; but there is a chill the instant you
pass into the shade; you still need your
winter clothing, and If you drive, or ride
in the gri over the steep hills, you
require winter overcoat. The night
TEN perature throughout California is in
variably in great contrast to that in the
daytime; nearly everywhere fire is necess-
arg at night the year round, and agreeable
neatly all the year, even IN Southern Cal
ifornia. / doubt if il is ever pleasant to
sit out-of doors or on the piaZzas at night,
though it may be in hotter months, in the
southern portion. But it is very confusing
to the mind of the new conner to recon
Gle his necessity for winter clothing to
what he sees and almost feels; in short, to
get used to the climate. The invalid Is
thrown off his guard by appearances; and
l should say that there is no country ID
the world where q person needs to use
more care about taking cold. Yet this
must be said the air is bracing and life
giving. l did net, in any part of the
State, in walking or taking any sort of eI-
ercise feel the least fatigue. A ''cold,"
therefore, for person In ordinary health
and condition, is not the.dragging, nearly
mortal ex Experience that 1t il apt to be in
the East. Then the browning advantage
of, the country, even if the climate 10
treacherous and needs watching in its eff
feots, is that one can be out ofdoors all
the time, nearly every day in the year.
Meantime, he can eat oranges, If he Is
not particular about the variety, and get
rich selling prospective or real orange
groves to Eastern people. But he will
never get over the surprises and contrasts
of the country. We went one day, by
rail, eighteen miles over the gentle hills,
from Los Angles to its lovely seaport of
Santa Monica. Fins hotel, charming
beach and sand bluffs, illimitable Pacific
Ocean. 1t was not warm day to sell Il
suppose one could buy days climate
there, or half days, or swap off morn
ing for an afternoon with the real-estats
brokers,-and every man and woman is a
reaI-estate broker, but We wore thick
winter clothing, and carried overcoats,
which occasionally were needed. Yet as
many as seventy-fve sane people were
bathing in the Pacific Ocean &c If il had
been August! Flowers, fruits, summer
bathing, and viuteHovercoats,-y have
to get used to it.-Janusry Atlantic.