The Marietta journal. [volume] (Marietta, Ga.) 1866-1909, 1892-07-21
AN ARTISTS RANCH,
Searching for Subjects She Bought Seven
ty Odd Acres in California.

searching Tor subjects She Bought Seven
ty Odd Acres in California.
In the south gallery of the Acade-
my of Design two years ago was
large painting of California violets
that attracted considerable attention.
and was sold quickly. The canvas
seemed TO exhale the fragrance of
the real flowers, according to the
imagination of some persons. The
artist was Mrs. S. A. Norton. a Long
Island woman. She had been a pu-
pill of Clifford and Sartain, and in her
search for color and new studies she
went to California. After painting
grapes of various sizes and colors
that almost demoralized her. and
finding herself incompetent to trans
fer to canvas as rapidly and salts
factorily as she desired, she decided
to be land owner, and learning of
"a vineyard ranch near Santa Cruz
she invested. s~
Buena Vista is the suggestive name
of the ranch. Forty of seventy-fv
acres are used for grape culture One
acre, or little less, netted $40 for
the Royal Isabella grape. On the.
ranch are two apple orchards and
one of prunes, with a hundred new
trees which began bearing in 1890.
In one week 81 tons of fruit were
drying for market. The house orch
ard contains nectarines, apricots,
plums, pears, peaches and cherries.
The ranch is shut in by high, thick
trees, redwood Astounding, and from
its situation it has only four hours of
sunshine in winter In the summer
the growth of vines is marvellous. A
rose vine sent out shoot that. grew
twenty feet in short time. The luxu.
rance and prodigality of flower life at
Buena Vista is intoxicating. Passion
vines in full flower of the richest
colors straggle over the fences,
screening every bit of wood. Mrs.
Norton added to her large stock Of
the choicest roses fifty of the finest
from Rochester greenhouses, most
of them everblooming. AS neither
rosebugs or slugs are known there,
nothing mars their perfection. The
climbers rival the passion vines in
producing flower screens. Clematis
and tropical vine of great beauty
cover the porch of the house, and the
house, which is not pretentious, will
be covered soon by roses.
Mrs. Norton finds life in that To-
cality more desirable than home
quarters in this tickle and unfriendly
climate. In her house at Greenvale
farm are the results of Bar Harbor
days, studies of the flowers from her
Long Island garden, ands studies of
California fruits and. flowers, besides
pa'few Portraits of local characters,
one being the dusky face of Tom
Bray's wife, as celebrated in the coun-
try for her cooking as her husband is
for his fddling. 1t is interesting to
note that the ranchwoman and artist
has womanly pride in simple femi-
nine ways, and finds delight in the
dainty exquisiteness of her needle
work. She proudly proclaims her
self country born and bred"
Mrs. Norton is a member of the
California State Floral society, and
her description Of the exhibits of this
society, and her talks with the super
intendent of the Golden Gate park
green houses, are very interesting.
She says that Timothy Hopkins, also
a member of the society, is an enthu-
siast about violet culture, growing
acres of them.-New York Sun.