Los Angeles herald., 1892-07-03
Los ANGELES COUNTY,
A Brief Review of Our
Opportunities
And the Future That Lays
Before Us.
What the Salt Lake Road Will
Achieve.
A Large Sea Traffie and an Immense
Railroad Bnsiness-Compiete List
OF All New Corporations Since
the BEGINNING of the Year.

We are far from the day-although it
is not so many years since either, that
Los Angeles county was gigantic sheep
ranch and Los Angeles city a little
adobe town of 5000 inhabitants. This
was the condition of affairs twenty years
ago when Los Angeles county could
hardly produce the cereals and vege-
tables for its home consumption.
Now it is the garden spot of California,
nay of the United States, while the city
is one of the favored spots on earth where
it is blessing to live. The strides in
progress made during the last few years
here have been immense; they keep
pace with the general development of
the Pacific coast, and if anything Los
Angeles leads in the race for intellectual
improvements, the application OF sci
ence in hygiene, traction, and every
commodity which betters the condition
of life and makes the struggle for exist
ence one of comparative ease and luxury.
ITS FUTURE.
Los Angeles county from a sheep
pasture has become vast grove in
which the orange and the lemon, the
apricot and the peach, the apple and the
pear, and many kinds OF other fruits at
tain the utmost perfection. 1t grows as
fine potatoes and cereals as any that can
be found in the United States, while
vegetables of all kinds, those especially
designated in the east as garden truck,
cannot be surpassed.
The time is not far away when Los
Angeles will be successful competitor
with the sugar-producing sections in
this and other countries. The profitable
culture of the sugar beet is no longer a
problem here, and before much time
elapses this industry will be potent
factor in the ACKNOWLEDGMENT and pros
perity of Los Angeles.
THE CoUNTY's CONFINES.
This county is bounded on the east by
the Sierra Madre mountains, on the south
by Orange county, formerly portion
of the most fertile part of Los Angeles !;
to the west by the Pacific ocean and
Ventura county, and to the north by
Kern county, from whose plains it is
separated by the Tehachepi mountains.
The county contains number of val
leys of considerable extent, separated
by chains of mountains. The one last
settled is Antelope valley. Then we
have Los Angeles valley, Cahuenga val
ley, the San Fernando valley and the
San Gabriel valley.
IT'S WATER SUPPLY.
Los Angeles county has two rivers, the
Los Angeles and the San Gabriel. Dur
ing the summer time their beds are
filed only with dry sand, through which
q considerable amount of water seeps
down to the ocean. 1t is only during
the period of the winter foods that the
channels fill with water. These rivers,
however, at all times contribute consid-
cradle water which, by means of bitches,
is applied to irrigation aud domestic
purposes.
OUR HARBoRs.
The coast line of Los Angeles county
presents but few indentations, the prin-
cipal of which are known as Santa Mon
ica and San Pedro bays. The former is
at present the commercial harbor of Los
Angeles county, Wilmington slough
having been dredged out by the federal
government. Redondo, between San
Pedro and Santa Monica, has wharf
where the Pacific Coast steamers as we'll
as sailing vessels call. Ballona harbor,
which has no importance at present,
lies near Santa Monica. This latter
place will, in course of time, by aid of
the building OF breakwater, become
one of the most important ports on the
coast. The Southern Pacific railroad
has under consideration plan for this
desirable object, but federal aid will be
needed to bring about the contemplated
improvements.
SANTA CATALINA.
While Los Angeles county owns two
islands, San Clemente and Santa Cata-
lima, the latter only, which is visible in
clear days from the shore, is of anv great
importance. Catalina island has in the
last few years become a much sought
after summer resort, and the town of
Avalon, is known favorably all over
Southern California.
AS TO THE SOIL,
The soil Of the county, although va
ried, is agricultural throughout. On
the highlands it is chiefly decomposed
granite, mixed with desiccated vege-
table matter, and is dry and warm. and
the richest soil in the world. On the
lowlandt it is often debris, or a mix
ture of various earths; sometimes a
clay, again sandy loan; at other
places adobe, a thick, black, heavy soil.
The lowland soils are often cold and
wet, and are subject to slight frosts.
Many of the elevated valleys, however,
never have any frosts, and delicate vines
and plants, such as heliotropes, toma-
toes and all kinds of flowers grow out
doors all winter long.
A FAVORED CLIMATE.
The climate of Los Angeles county has
been described by many visitors as cool
in summer and warm in winter, but
nearly always equable and sunshiny.
This is fact well known to it's inhab-
itants, and one of the reasons why it is
considered perfect.
A peculiarly of the heat in Southern
California ia that it is always dry, and as
such always easily supported, no matter
to what height the thermometer may
climb. While in the east the weather
becomes Hweltering when the mercury
shows so degrees and sunstrokes are a
daily occurrence, in Los Angeles when
the thermometer indicates 100 degrees
In the shade no discomforts are expe-
rienced. The thermometer, however,
is not in the habit of getting that high.
except on rare occasions, and So degrees
ia the notch at which it generally stops
during the pleasant spells which consti-