Los Angeles daily herald., 1889-05-31
FRIDAY, MAY 81, 1883.
A Rich and Beautiful Section.

FRIDAY MAY o1s 1885,
A Rich and Beautiful Section.
There are few portions Of Los Angeles
county that present more varied and
attra ctive features to the visitor than the
country that lies along the foothills OF
the Cahuenga range. AS seen from the
fine ranches that slope from it to the
ocean, it has gorgeous and picturesque
aspect. OF clear day the atmospheric
tints that are shadowed forth from its
graceful heights are of soft and some
times purple hue accented by a dark
green back ground that is peculiarly
restful and grateful to the eye. The
ascent is gradual until one reaches the
foothill bench, where the fine orchards
and vineyards and gardens, rich in the
choicest fruits and berries and vegeta-
bles, give ocular proof Of the great PRO-
ductive value of the range. The view
from this elevation is one that is not
surpassed for sweep and broadness
and variety of scene, as well as
beauty and picturesqueness, any
where in the country. Standing upon
the charming pasture fronting the Durfee
place at Monte Vista, Originally laid out
by our lamented friend, Judge Charles
Lindley,) the vast panorama presented to
the eye is simply enhancing. Spreading
away to the ocean is succession OF we'll
titled farms, which bear on their bosoms
the evidence of a prolific yield OF wheat,
barley and corn. Fine dairy ranches,
covered with fat kline grazing on the rich
grasses and alfalfa that shoot forth from
the generous soil, are scattered across the
plains. The rolling prairie lands with
their fine stock ranges blend with the
scooped-out basins of black earthed
valleys where the orange and the vine
grow in rich profusion. The magnificent
site of the Soldiers Home is in full view
with it's ample buildings, some
finished and others just commenced.
Beyond the blue expanse of the
ocean looms up grandly Catalina
Island, and gives majestic sweep
to the fine marine perspective and
idyllic foreground. To the left the city
Of Los Angeles is seen at its highest
points and spreading down until the maze
of graceful structures is lost in
the house. dotted acre property that
merges town into country. No one
with spark Of poetry in his nature can
behold this charming picture, or rather
succession of pictures, without feeling a
keen touch Of that sensation which fires
the imagination and makes the warm
currents flow more quickly through the
pulsating veins.
Bnt it is net alone in the esthetic
charm of go Incompatible picture that
one is gratified by visit to this match
less foothiu country. One soon learns to
realize why this attractive belt is held in
so great esteem by the very prosperous
people who cultivate its soil. Practi-
cally it gives return in ready money
to the cultivator which is not ex-
ceeded in any other locality.
Frost never reaches these mid-mountain
heights. tits warm belt. The soil is
composed of decomposed granite, washed
down from the hills, and impregnated
with chemicals that are congenial to
rapid vegetable growth. Artesiansprings
of perennial flow rise in the mountains
and keep the subsoil in condition of
moisture that comes to the surface by
capillary attraction " henever the ground
is stirred. As one of the properties of the
soil is lime, the natural heat of the belt
is supplemented by the warmth gener-
ated from the decomposition of the lime
in the soil. Hence, tomatoes, berries,
vegetables of all kinds, and the choicest
and highest-priced fruits, come to ma
turity in this favored region month and
over sooner than they do in the lower
levels. This fact gives the husband
man who cultivates a few acres
in the CahueDga foothills a better
income than some farmers realize from
large tracts elsewhere. Potatoes, toma-
tees, berries. fruits, etc., that reach mar
ket month earlier than the same pro-
ducts can be raised elsewhere, necessarily |
cell readily and at very compensating
prices, and the result is that the Cahuen-
90 cultivatcrs are an exceptionally we'll
o-do community. We know one
nan who was amongst the first to go into
his business, and his net returns for
1ears from his market products averaged
rom four to five Thousand dollars per
Innum. He never had more than twenty
Icres under cultivation. 1t will thus be
cen that the substantive merits of the
,ahuenga foothills are as attractive to
he practical husbandman as their scenic
esuty is source of ineffable delight to
be admirer of what is grand and charm
,g in rature. /