News and citizen. [volume] (Morrisville, Vt. ;) 1881-current, 1890-01-23
Letter from California.

FDTTORs NEWS AND CITIZEN One of
nv friends sent me a copy of your
paper of date July Is, in which, under
fhe head of ;" Notes of Some Lamoille
County Men," Trouble" recalls some
very interesting "reminiscences ofsome
of my early and valued friends. He
was kind enough to refer to me in
friendly manner and said he did not
know nv whereabouts. | fully in
tended to write and resolve his
doubts at the time / received the pa
ner, but it was mislaid until yester-
day, when the missing link was found,
and | proceed to carry out my Origi-
nal intention.
What a host of recOllections the
sight of your paper recalls Noun
tains and valleys; rivers and brooks;
summer heat and hyperborean cold;
loves and antipathies; joys and sor-
rows; and above all, the quick and
the dead. Lamoille's most cOnspicu-
GUS and distinguished son, Luke Pot
ter Poland was an honor to his cOun-
tv, State and nation. He was a great
LAWYER, an able statesman. and that
noblest work of God, an honest man.
Gov. Hendee was most credltable
representative in Congress, and L am
GLAD to learn that he is still pursuing
an honorable and useful career. The
Gleeds, Rowell, Powers, Smile, Stow
ell, DR.. Miner and many others-hoW
their forms and faces come to me
across the weary years By the way,
is the Col Keller mentioned in the
communication | have referred to,
the man that was Adjutant Keller in
the days of my boyhood, and who
used French" so fiuently on muster
days?
As you will see by the heading on
this, | am living in Southern Cali
fornia, practicing my profession, hav-
ing removed here from South Caro-
lima about four years ago. The pc
culiarity of this country is that there
are two seasons-spring and summer,
the former commencing in October or
November, and ending with June.
When the fall rains set in, the trans
formation from the hard, dry earth
and withered vegetation to bloom
and verdure is wonderful, not only
for its rapidity, but for it's complete
ness and perfection. The bud of one
day is the flower of the next, and the
field upon which the grain is just
piercing the surface of the ground, in
few days is densely covered with it's
green mantle. So Of trees; the Aus
tralian Blue Gum, or Eucalyptus,
from a seed smaller than the mus
tard, will become sixty or seventy
feet high, and from eight to ten inches
in diameter in three or four years.
The whole country is at the moment
of my writing a miracle of verdure,
bloom and flowers: The orange and
lemon groves are filled with the gold
en- fruits, while interspersed through
the green leaves the blossoms fill the
air with fragrance. Theroses, honey
suckle and all the spring tribes are in
their glory, while the Gala lily, rare
plant found in the East only in the
lighthouses, fringes the gardens with
stalks three feet high, and its masses
of dark green leaves and it's broad
white flower foot higher. The stock
fares sumptuously in Peruvian clover
and native grasses a foot or more in
black, is covered everywhere with a
wealth ofvegetation utterly unknown
to the rocky soil of New England.
Vegetables of almost every descrip-
ton are taken fresh from the ground
at all seasons. Strawberries are in
the market every day of the year.
Nature is prodigal and man initiates
nature. If wehad Vermontindustry,
thrift and prudence, this would be
the garden spot of the world; as it is,
soil and climate have done so much
for us that we do not, as a rule, con-
slider it imperative to do much for
ourselves.
This city is six miles square; has
about eighty thousand inhabitants
and is the progressive place in-the
State. We have two water and three
gas companies; an excellent system
of street cable railways; fine public
and business buildings; wide streets
and costly and beautiful private resi-
dences, adorned with bluegrass lawns
and the trees, plants and flowers of
this semi-tropical region. If anyone
thinks the picture is overdrawn, a
personal inspection will convince the
doubter that the half has not been
told"
Now, Messrs. Editors, as the poll
ticians say. | am in the hands of my
friends, and whether this long scrawl
finds its way into the "waste- basket"
or your interesting paper, depends
solely upon you. In either event,
with kind regards to "Trouble," and
other old friends, and with the COM
pliments of the season for them and
yourselves, Very truly yours,
RICHARD B. CARPENTER