Los Angeles herald., 1890-11-20
A Ride in a Day as Perfect
as if in June.
The FroStless Foothills i'm the
Balmy November Weather.
Yistas of Mountain, Plain and Sea
Under ClOudless Sky.
Peas, Tomatoes and New Potatoes Grow
ing All Along the Countryside as if
in Midsummer.

A HERALD reporter took long ride
yesterday with Mr.. A. III. Denker, and
proposes to tell the readers of this paper
what he saw. 1t may be an old story
here, and some one may call for the
chestnut bell and ring it loudly. That
thousands of people who take the HER.
AID will run a red mark through this
article and send it to some friend at the
east, it will do good missionary work in
attracting attention to the delights of
dwelling under skies like ours. Ii there
is one word of exaggeration in this arti-
Gle, do not send it; but if you know it is
short of the facts, then do send out the
winged words, to let the people know
that this is the most fascinating place to
own a home on the face of the whole
revolving ball that men call earth. Re-
member this article on its arrival at the
east in Thanksgiving week will be taken
from its wrapper by fingers numbed by
sharp frost, and that it will be read be-
side roaring fires wherever it may 90.
1t is likely to encounter a big snow
storm at certain points, or drenching
rains at others. The haze of the Indian
summer is already gone from the hills,
and chill, icy winter stands upon the
tops of the mountains ready to step upon
the plains, wrap them all in a shroud of
snow, bind the streams IN letters of ice.
hush the song-birds in the leafless trees.
drive the flocks from the fields, and
make life serious struggle for the next
six mopths. The poet OF those regions
has sung:
And what so perfect as a day in June?
Then If ever come perfect days.
Here he can find as perfect days in
this November, as in any June that ever
hung the New England hillsides with a
rich drapery of verdure.
The drive yesterday took us out past
Westlake park, by the Baptist college
on the western limits OF the city. near
Colegrove, up toward the Lick tract,
then westerly to the Cahuenga pass, to
Mr.. Miller's, Mr.. Yager's, Mr.. Durfy's
places, and down to Mr.. Denker's
Rodeo de las Aguas. The mountains
stood out as we'll defined in the warm.
balmy air as canoes cut in pietra dura,
and the plains below lay bathed in a
flood of sunlight, while to the west the
broad sea smiled and sparkled like a
great belt of diamonds girdling the waist
of Nature. There are indeed few spots
in the whole wide world where such a
vista of loveliness presents itself to the
delighted eye. 1t is one which only the
brush of the artist or the pen of the poet
can do half justice to. There was not a
fleck of cloud in the broad, blue sky;
not blur on the wide area of the land
scape; not harsh breath of air to rutfie
the plumage of the mocking birds that
made music in the tall tops of the euca-
lyptus trees, or beneath the thick foliage
OF the graceful branches of the pepper
trees. Soft breezes blew up from the
limitless expanses of the boundless Pa
ciic full of comfort and vigor to all that
lives. The blue sky bent down in &C.
stasy to embrace the russet brown of
the plains studded with orchards of the
waxy foliage of the orange, and spangled
with flowers, and to meet the soft grew
tints of the hillsides, fringed all along
their base with broad fields where to-
mato vines, peas and potatoes were
like emerald sprinkled with snow as the
plants burst into flowers as far as the
eye could reach.
And here is a subject that needs no
artists eye to appreciate. The dull,
prosaic ear of the merchant is now ap-
pealed to. Think of such country as
this Not only the crops of last summer
are still in the field, and the fruits of
summer on the trees. but new crops are
now in bloom on this fertile stretch OF
territory. The apples are hanging in
the still thick foliage; the watermelons
are as sweet and sound as in August
the figs are half dried on the twigs, and
the olives are just beginning to become
lar enough to all who know
anything OF this country. 1t
is also known that the orange
trees are now loaded down with perfect
fruit, as are also the lemons and the
lines. But from the Lick tract to the
sea at Santa Monica, the whole stretch
of foot-hill country is now green with
broad fields of peas, tomatoes and pota-
toes. some OF the plants just coming
above the ground and some just bursting
with bloom. 1t is now the last pant Of
November, and not a breath of frost has
touched the tenderest shoot of the least
hardy plant. The pea and tomato BIOS
SONS are bright and healthy as in June
or July. 1t will be observed that
tiItIC ID W NC HO lTOSU Ill UDaC
district at any time. These crops
will be gathered next month, and in
January and February and March, and
carloads of them will go east all winter.
But this article is growing too long.
There is another aspect OF it that must
be dwelt on or do it injustice. The
fertility of the soil, the frostless charac-
ter of the cline. and the profits of hus-
bandry under these conditions will at
tract dense population there, and
make these lands very dear. This is
now taking place. H. III. Wilcox, the
other day, sold 40 acres at Hollywood at
the mouth of Cahuenga pass, for $1S,-
600. That was raw land, and it sold ior
$3.50 per acre. 1t is cheap at the
price, and will, in less than
five years, bring $1,000 an acre. But
that is not all. These foothills offer
the most attractive spots in all the world
for fine villa residences. There is ex-
Sheriff sKays's place, Henry Curtin's,
Mr.. Layers, or p. 7. Durfy's. Any of
these, or of hundred others along this
district, could be made an ideal home for
a rich man. That is what will be their
fate in the sweet bye-and-bye. There is
not spur OF these foothills that will not