News and citizen. [volume] (Morrisville, Vt. ;) 1881-current, 1891-09-10
From California.
SAN LEANDRo, Call
Aug. II. 1891. (


Aug. IA, 1891.
/ did not intend towrite until rot
to san Francisco. / am all right and
now the same as across the conti-
nent. We started from Salt Lake
City Tuesday night and at Odgen
struck the Union Pacific again and
took a tourest Is sleeper, the first time
we have had one. Can sleep about
as well as can at home. We travelled
that night, the next day, and all the
next night, and reached Oakland in
the morning, distance of 925 miles.
The cars do not run into San Fran
cisco but have to take a ferry boat
across the bay, six miles. This town,
San Leandro, is ten miles southeast
OF Oakland and n friend of Mr.. Cowles
lives here so we came from Oakland
right here yesterday morning and
are going tostay till tomorrow then
go to the great city.
Well, you probably want TO know
about the state of California. Well.
l do positively believe il il the best
place in the world. Il is beautiful
garden. | am fully convinced that
this will be my home when / get ready
to settle down. j would give fifty
dollars if you could be set right down
in the orchard back of this house.
Fruit is just getting ripe and it is a
busy time. i have made myself
present around the peach, pear.
plumb, prune, apricot and cherry
trees, "you bet" | wish / could send
you sample of the fruit by mail but
it would not get there whole, but YOU
have seen pictures oft, and they are
not overdone. Peaches sell for ~
cents a pound, and some are fed TO
the pigs. Great large peaches as big
as Baldwin apple. / could write
volumes about the fruit. But Just
thinkwhat land cost here, from $1,000
to $500 per acre, where i'm Vermont
it sells for $50. There are acres and
acres of nothing but fruit trees. This
man sold 1870 worth of cherries this
year. a farmer only wants a five
acre patch here and he can make
more money than off any farm in
Vermont. The looks of the buildings
and surroundings prove it. They
hardly ever have any snow here and
put in theircrops not later than Jan
uary, they also raise two crops of
potatoes. They can grow most any
thing under the sun here, but not so
in Colorado, Utah and Nevada. |
never supposed land could be so bar
rem as those states are, especially the
last two. Nothing but sage brush
grows only where irrigated.
Soon after entering California at
Truckee found one of my old Nor
risville school-mates, by hunting a
little. The train stopped there for
supper so inquired and found him
on the next track firing an engine.
Soon after that we passed over the
great Serra Nevada Mountains and
through forty miles of snow sheds.
We both took n bath i'm the great
Salt Lake, whose waters are five
times as salt as the ocean. OF course
one can hoat for hour on the surface
without making a move 1t looked
funny to see 100 persons, old men,
young men, old women and young
women all floating on their backs.
1t is impossible for one TO get entire
ly under water. We probably shall
not get away from San Francisco be-
fore Monday or Tuesday so shall be
a good month in getting to Wash
ington, but tell You that one who
always stays in New England can't
realize much about the west.
Yours truly,
T.. A. SANBoRN.