Morning journal and courier., 1891-01-23
OUT I'm PASADENA.

OUT IN PASADENA.
Fresh Notes Regarding southern Cali
Norma - strawberries Plenty and
Gala LILIES, Heliotrepe, ETC.,
Blooming Outdoors-A Drive Among
the Ranches.
To the Editor of the JOURNAL AND COURIER:
PASADENA, CAL, Jan. 13, 1891.-The Sc
ries Of articles which are now being pub
lished- in some eastern magazines are Civ
ing great satisfaction to the people Of this
part of the country, who dearly love to
have their climate and productions praised.
I remember that it was common enough
for the people in the east to grumble about
the weather-it was always sort of pet
grisvance-but in these parts such COM
plants are seldom heard, and even if the
weather does indulge in curious freaks-as
what weather does Motive only hear
apologies for it and assurances that such
happenings were never known before, not
even in the memory of the oldest mission
Indian.
This month of January, which in many
places is generally considered as belonging
to the Indictment season of the year, is here
one of the best of the twelve, for the occa-
sional rains prevent all annoyance from
the dust, while the roses, Gala lilies, and
even the delicate heliotrope, are in full
bloom, to say nothing of the flowers, and
Strawberries are selling for fifteen cents a
box, or two boxes for two hits. Now is
the season of agricultural operations, and
all the tillers of the soil (who seem to be
much more numerous and active than
formerly are busily engaged in planting
and sowing the grain, though in many
places the wheat and barley fields are al
ready green and fourishing, the seed hav-
ing been put in the ground before the rainy
season begun, there to lie until the first
showers should give it start.
In some of the remote valleys among the
mountains, which have not been previous
1y cultivated and where the land is covered
with sage brush and other distractions, it
is customary to begin operations by drag
ging bar of railroad iron over the ground
by means of one or more pairs of horses
hitchsd to each end. This effectually roots
up the rubbish, which does not generally
have very firm hold in the loose soil, and
also makes it lively for the rattlesnakes,
which are occasionally found in considera-
BILE numbers.
1t is said-whether true or not do not
know-that drove of pigs turned loose
on land where rattlesnakes are plenty will
soon exterminate the reptiles. This may
be California story, which, like some 9th
ers occasionally heard, must be taken with
proper allowance.
A drive through the country now isvery
enjoyable, for all the hills and valleys are
green and pleasant to look at, quite con.
trast to the brown of summer. Some
large ranches in Southern Califor
| MIA are conducted on great
| scale, and cover much ground, in
some cases thousands of acres. One ranch
near here furnished subsistence for about
twenty-five thousand sheep, five or sia
| thousand COWS and pigs, with hundreds Of
| grants, peach, pear and other trees and a.
many as fifteen thousand orange trees
| while several hundred horses and mules
with small army of men are necessary tc
carry it on. Other ranches are nearly a
large and are capable of producing grea
| quantities of wheat, barley, corn and nu
| merous other things, SO that it is possible
to ride for long distances through one O
these great ranches with vineyards anc
fields of grain extending on either hand.
Some Of the more common vegetable
will in this country continue their growtl
from year to year without replanting, as
for instance, potatoes will, if enough see
is left in the ground at the time of diggin
in the summer or fall, sprout the mex
winter and produce another crop, Will
tomatoes will, with very little care, con
tinue to bear year after year.
What is called volunteer oat hay is
regular article of sale. It is mostly oat
which are self-sowed, and which come u
in the same place from year to year, an
which, if left undisturbed, spread i
every direction. The grain is not yer
we'll filed or heavy, but when cut an
COWS, and, of course, requires no cultiva
ton
One popularity of the weather is diff
cult to understand, and that is why the OF
casional frosts do 80 little damage to flow
: ers and vegetables. A frost which in tt
east would destroy every delicate plant le
uncovered seems to make no impression @
| the flower gardens here, where flowers {
all kinds will continue to bloom and fiou
, ish even when little pools of water in the
immediate vicinity are found to have thi
E pieces of ice around the edges. This ma
seem like an exaggerated statement, b1
! careful observation will convince anyor
!, that it is really so, and it may perhaps /
classed with the same phenomena ofte
| observed in some parts of India where, ov
! | ing TO rapid evaporation, shallow vesse
of water will sometimes skim over wit
thin ice, even in places where the the
mometer never falls to the freezing poin
But if there be those here who wish fl
ice and snow they can be easily satisfied
it is not necessary to go to the east for i
A few miles up the mountain trail wi
give any ono all the winter they want, an
while the sun is hot in the valleys, we ca
look with pleasure at the clouds of sno
driven by the wind from the top of "O]
Badly" which glistens white and clear
the sunshine. J. F. B.