Mexico weekly ledger., 1891-02-12

great and powerful little city with
its 1900 inhabitants; it is on the
main line Of the S. P. Ry. 1t has
several lines OF street railways.
Fresno has a we'll organized fire
department including four engines;
one of these being the latest de-
signs of chemical engines. She has
7 banking institutions with capital
stock ranging from s2OO, 900 to 49,
600, 900, Is churches and the second
best business houses on the Pacific
coast, and 3 Wholesale lumber
yards, several factories, 4 packing
houses and the Barton Grand, the
finest opera house west of Denver.
Fresno county is the raisin GEN.
tire of the world, sending last year
to Karsas City, St. Louis and Chi
cago $500 cars of green and dried
fruits, besides supplying her local
markets with 1900 cars One OF
Fresno county's greatest industries
is her lumber mills, located in the
Sierra Nevada Mountains. Moore
and Smith carry on the lumber
business more extensively than any
other firm. They control the lum-
Der markets of this coast. They
saw some 200 900 feet per day.
Wages are very good at these
mills, ranging from $40 to 1928
per month; this includes board.
Wheat raising in this valley, as
well as barley and oats, was a very
profitable business a few years ago.
The vast plains that was once walv-
ed its golden head of grain IN the
beautiful sunshine to await the
coming of the harvester, Is now
almost n solid orchard of tropi-
cal fruits.
Sheep raising was, for a long
time. a very paying business when
ali of the great plains were open
for grazing, but farming has H.
creased so rapidly and the country
settled so fast that the sheep busl-
ness is decreasing very fast. Most
all of the sheep are now owned by
Portugees, who herd their sheep
along the foot hills in the winter
and run them to the mountains in
the summer.
The most of California has a fine
climate; there Ire several grapes on
the vines from last year. Oranges,
lemons, lines and bananas are
growing nicely the whole year, but
with all its good qualities it is SUBJ
jeet to change.
The laboring class of people here
are not treated like they are
in the East-they have to furnish
their own beds, which consist of a
heavy horse blanket and a heavy
quilt, and when night comes they
roll up in their bed and go to sleep
i said they went to sleep-the
native Californian does sleep, but
sound and refreshing sleep does
not come to the fastener; they
doze a little now and then and
dream of the nice downy feather
beds with nice white sheets, plenty
of blankets and a nice soft pillow
to lay their weary head upon, but
after a little while of this ftfui
sleeping he wakes up and fully
realizes that it is all a dream, and
that he is not in Grand Old
Missouri, but in the far famed
golden West.
California is far behind the grand
old State of Missouri in one re-
spect-if not more. The one | am
going to mention is a fact concern
ing the fair sex. l have never seen
a young girl here that you ought
to speak to the same day that you
speak of the Missouri girls. The
girls OF this country ale high toned
aristocrats. would not mind them
being aristocratlc If they were good
looking. They do not work and
they are.not pretty to look at.
often wonder what they were in
tended for. The girls of Missouri
are Industrious, gentle, kind and
beautiful. l can very easy com
prehend what they were intended
for.
have seen most of the State OF
California. 1t is undoubtedly q
fine climate, and if it was settled
up with good people like Missouri
is, l think it would be a nice coun
try to live in, but considering
everything, old Missouri is good
enough for me. Stay N Missouri,
boys; you will never find a better
country and better people any
where, not even if you cross the
continent IN search OF 1t. You can
make a good living in Missouri,
and you will be happier and far
more %contented if you lever get
outside of your native State.
f. j. BAKER.
The Louisiana News correspond
ence says: Ed. Thomason, OF
Mexico, Mo-, has set up a photo
graph gallery at Elsberry. Ed. will
be a valuable addition to the Els