Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1894-07-11
THE LAND OF FLOWERS
Southern California as It Appears to One
From the East.
A Delightful Climate Both Summer
and Winter@The Luxurinnt Growth
Of Flowers and Fruits.
Of The Evening Star.

| the summer months. The very name of
southern California suggests the heat and
| oppressive climatic conditions of Florida,
and 1t was absolutely a matter of surprise
| to us to find COOL bracing and invig-
| Grating climate during the summer months.
| Southern California Is like Palestine in
natural features, resembling that country
far more than 1t does Italy, to which 1t is
| SO often compared. 1t is a narrow strip of
land. comprising forty thousand square
miles, facing a western sea; 1t is separated
| from the deserts of less favored lands by
chain Of snow-capped mountains; 1t has
its dry and wet seasons; 1t is land flowing
with milk and honey" and in both countries
| flourish the same picturesque trees. the
olive. the fig and the vine.
The rainy season is the most delightful
| time of year. The average annual rainfall
| is fife IN inches. and the welcome showers
seldom last but few hours at a time. A
| vivid mantle of green transforms the brown
hills while wild flowers especially the deep
yellow poppies, the state flower of Cali
| fornia. form variegated carpet over
meadow ard plain. Gaily plumaged birds
| sing their sweetest songs In the morning
| sunlight, as they fly from orange to pepper
| tree. and the air is fIeighted with odors Of
| roses, helotrope and jasamine. Thus, the
this favored cline. Strange to say, the alb
| sence Of rain In summer is not noticed by
| the traveller. as there is such a perfect sys-
tenn Of irrigation that grove and vineyard.
orchard and garden are pleasure to be-
hold.
One appreciates the fact that Of all the
valuable materials in the world there is
one which takes precedence here-namely,
| mud Irrigation Is better than rain, for,
whenever needed the orange men can turn
| on a shower In San Diego there is a to-
| mato vine eight months DID, nineteen feet
| high and twenty-five feet wide. The owner
picks the tomatoes from a step ladder.
Pumpkins weigh 256 pounds and are seven
feet in circumference. and cucumbers are
seven feet long. There are three bites to a
| strawberry. and the eucalyptus shoots often
| grow twenty feet the first year, carrying
with them in their rapid ascent the stakes
| to which they were tied Any visitor to the
worlds fair will not doubt these facts.
Even the Money is Large.
There are certain characteristics Of this
country which were surprising to me. The
rivers flow underground the most OF the
| year. One can cross them like the Israel
| ties Of old 1t is never cloudy; but when
| the sun Is yelled from view, the residents say
We have a high fog. These are welcomed
| as much the rains, for one can have
too much Of even the rays of our glorious
sun, termed here the Mexican stove" The
old Californians are high-minjei; hey
| will not deign to accept few pennies IN
payment for purchase; 1othinS considered
| of value is sold for less than a nickel Two
and four bits represent our quarter and
half dollar. To hear. a man ask for two
bits of crackers in a grocery sounds strange
to our ears. One easterncr. when told the
price of an article, asked: Bits of what?'
Thunder storms arr almost unknown.
One was experienced snorC time since.
and the stir II occastoncd was quite equal
to that of an earthquake in Washington.
One young lady, who had always lived IN
Los Angeles, but who was absent at the
time. said that she had missed the sight
of lifetime, and wondered how IL must
| aavtp tn al. nt,.,
the muttering thua Ter rolled through the
heavens, "A trembling little one drew near
Ter mother and said: .Oh. mamma, dess
| bark! 1 hear God walKin, In the sky, and
| Use afraid
On the other hani the trembling Of
Mother Earth quite startled us last month,
| and one of our party. who had always
wished to experience the same. remained
perfectly still to enjoy the sensation, 'rliie
the rest of the alarmed cis.erncrs rushed
out of the house lest worse sequel might
follow. While forest arcS rag, in the north
west, and cyclones and waterspouts in other
states, this is a favored nni. Even The
Coxeyite goes east, leaving without a
vestige of tramp life.
The Luscious Fruits.
Variety is one Of the noteworthy features
| of southern California; II is a succession of
nesas and valleys. shut OF from each other
by rolling hills. The view from any Of
these elevations in this section embraces
one continuous grove orchard or vineyard,
and one is not surprised to see the fruit
stands, where any variety of delicious fruit
can be bought in quantities for 5 cents.
Strawberries grow the year around and
such a number of other fruits that the
purchaser is puzzled which to choose. Lo-
quats, guavas. nectarines and figs are the
unusual varieties. TamaeS might be added
to the curiosties These a Mexican
compound of peppers and meat, rolled in a
corn husk, and sold on the street corners
of all cities of southern California.
After such foreign delicacies one hardly
knows what TO expect when asked If he
would like some spuds. Imagine the cha
grin when our common potatoes are brought
to view. One of the queerest sights to an
easterner are the truck gardens of the
Pacific coast. They are all worked by
Cinnamon, and usually river bottoms
The celestials wear strange straw hats, and
carry pole across their shoulders, at
the end of which are ropes, holding racks
and upon these all kinds of burdens are car
rled. Sometim es. when boxes of fruit reach
almost to the ground, queer gait, re-
sembling jumping run, is assumed.
They tell this lessons the weight and
makes the yoke more secure; but they tell
us anything in California. To see a num-
Der of these plodding. Industrious men
sowing, reaping, trimming, pruning and
harvesting one could well imagine that the
deep blue waters of the neighboring ocean
lad been crossed and stood in that
far-of land of China.
The Chinese as Servants.
toned to Cinnamon domestics, but they
soon put aside all doubts to the housewife
as they make FAR better servants than any
other class of people Their wages as cooks
and general house servants are exceedingly
high, receiving at least 81 day. We no.
tice only three things high in California ,
wages, railroad fares and newspapers. A
single sheet cannot be bought for less than
five cents in the smallest town. Living is
cheaper than In Germany, If fasteners do
their own work. II is surprising how many
families follow this mule and live comfort
ably on a meager allowance.
If the question was asked, what one
thing do yoC notice in California cities par
tlcularly Impressive, the answer would I'M
questionably be the humble cottages with
their gardens, where tie roses and honey
suckle grow, where the pepper trees, re-
sembling HANGING ferns, lift Up their SPLEEN
did green branches, and the butterflies fut-
ter in and cut among the vines. Ever
workman seems to have such house. The
little children haze a bit of blossoming
earth. where they can run and play, and
which is ,hcompasseG in the maine we so
dearly lore--home Meier in our travels
in oth.. lands have we seen many hun
dTeds Of pretty homes in a single city, IN
the rich do not build, but where the honest
laborer passes a life of domestic pleasure.