Mexico weekly ledger., 1893-02-02
FROM THE GOLDEN STATE.
A Beautiful Valley Where Grow Fruits
and Flowers the Year Round
Colder Weather Than
Usual.

Correspondence Of the Ledger
FRESNO, Cal, Jan. 9.-DEAR SIR
On the table my China lilies are
| growing in dishes of water and look
so pure and sweet amidst clusters ol
splendid leaves, thus in graceful
silence doing their duty as nature
demands. Violets are blooming in
the yards, not above the lovely grass
as it grows in dear old Missouri,
but the shining sand. Where water
is not convenient for irrigation blue
grass will not grow here. The last
month has been very cold, ice an
inch thick. Flowers were frosted
and bouquets of rose buds sell high.
The sun has not shone for nine days
and the fog is so dense and damp.
Good weather for neuralgia and rheu-
matism many suffer with it here.
The winters here are lovely but the
summers are so dry, long and warm
one gets tired out, and no rain to
amount to anything after May until
October. A snow storm in winter
like we have in Missouri would be
most wonderful sight and astonish
the natives. In this beautiful val
ley of fruits and flowers snow never
shrouds the earth with its mantle Of
purity but in the mountains, fifty
miles away, they have heavy falls.
On bright clear mornings the noun
tains shine like a great large dia-
mond and look lovely. Work
never stops here ON account of bad
weather. Trade is good and the city
improving fast. Many beautiful
new houses have been built the last
year. A new Presbyterian church
is in progress now. Men are plow-
ing the open lots for wheat, others
are spading up their yards and re-
setting shrubbery. Plenty of vege-
tables in the market of all kinds.
Fruits are cheap except apples and
pine apples. Apples are 81 per
bushel, pine apples 81 apiece, grown
at Riverside, eggs 25 cents per doz-
Ell, butter Is and 80 cents for a roll
of 2 pounds. Our best butter is
shipped here from the coast. Young
chickens are SO and 80 cents
apiece, turkeys 16 and 20 cents a
pound, hickory nuts a luxury not
grown in this valley so while you
are feasting on apples and nuts
around big glowing fires. housed in
from cold storms that blow about
your eastern homes, we are happy
with our oranges, figs, almonds and
English walnuts in rooms where Of
ten the beautiful sunshine is our on
ly "heater." Next month the wild
flowers will commence blooming
and the vacant lots will be flower
garden of golden poppies, blue
bells, primroses and a hundred of
others I cannot name. In March
and April the roses and lilies will
be in their glory. One gentleman
has his grounds set with three hum
dred and twenty kinds of roses, some
of the lovliest l ever saw. Pome-
granite, umbrella, acacia and many
other fine ornamental trees will burst
into bud and their pink and purple
blossoms will also lend charm to
the early sprlngtide. After these
have spent their beauty the lovely
magnoIia's cream white blossoms
hold in tender admiration the eye of
the traveller. Its large sweet bios
SONS are very attractive, set in clus-
ters of rich green leaves with brown
lining. Oleanders grow to large
tall trees and bloom all summer
long. Cactus, palms, pinks, ver-
benas, ferns, geraniums and pan
sizes deck the borders of drives,
yards and gardens in great vari-
eties. Late in the summer the
beautiful pampas grass, native OF
the extreme southern part OF Califor-
MIA and Australia, waves its long
graceful plumes until the rains de-
stroy its loveliness. In great guam
titles we have the stately dahlia and
many hued chrysanthemums.
The fuchsia does not grow well in
this valley; it is too hot. Perhaps
some who have not heard it would
like to hear the legend of this sweet
flower. 1t is said that angels
whispered this legend to mortals
here below. When the Saviour was
crucified an angel at the foot OF the
cross prayed that the drops OF blood
that flowed from his wounds might
not be lost but might take some
form of beauty and live in the world
for them. Then the fuchsia sprang
up there on Calvary hanging its head
from sorrow, beautiful, though with
out perfume, for its fragrance had all
ascended as incense to heaven, but
in this lovely flower those drops OF
blood still live. We have found
friends here and a pleasant home
but none can take the place OF old
ones. Would like to show you all
the lovely sea MOSES, ferns, rocks,
shells and star fishes mother,
brother VIII and Maggie brought
from the coast in August when they