The San Francisco call., 1896-03-29
A NOTABLE EVENT.

The elaborate preparations which the
people of San Jose are making for their
rose carnival which will open May 6 indi-
cate that spe ctacle of uncommon mag
niticence viii be presented for the enter
tainment of residents and visitors. Its
principal feature will be a street parade of
gorgeously decorated floats, and in order
that its composition may be surprise
even to those who participate in it all
parties concerned will be bound to secrecy.
Colonel A. K. Whitton, who has charge of
this branch of the festival, will alone have
knowledge of the details, and his tact and
skill will be called into play to prevent
Implications and produce general har-
monious effect. The indoor feature of the
festival will be managed with equal abil-
ity.
1t is in the month of May that the
witcheries of the Santa Clara Valley are
presented in their most charming aspects.
Although only fifty miles from San Fran
cisco the climate is quite different from
that of the larger city. Between the val
ley and the ocean are reared the Santa
Cruz Mountains, which defect the trade
winds and fogs and leave the glowing
plains to sunshine and balmy airs. AS
one Of the comparatively few cities in Cal
ifornla that appreciate the wonderful pos
slbilities of semi-trOpical climate in the
production of floral effects San Jose is
famous for its gardens and for that reason
has come to be known as the "Garden
City" When to this intelligent adorn-
ment are added miles OF clean and smooth
bituminous streets and an abundance OF
deciduous shade trees we find perfect con-
ditions of beauty.
The Santa Cruz Mountains on the west
and the Coast Range on the east form a
noble setting for the exquisite valley of
which San Jose is the center. The floor of
the valley is carpeted with orchards and
vineyards, and they are threaded with
hundreds of miles of roads which the
State Bureau OF Highways has proclaimed
to be the best in the State. Here rural
life in California is found developed to it's
highest perfection. Bordering the smooth,
dustless, tree-lined avenues which stretch
away through the valleys in all directions
are thousands of artistic homes, each with
its well-kept lawn and flower garden. The
finer parts of rural England and France
present no picture more alluring. Pros
perity, comfort and good taste and an
utter absence of squalor and neglect indi-
cate fecundity of soil that makes indus
try profitable, and pleasant climate that
renders existence delight
Such are some of the charms that await
a visitor to the approaching carnival of
roses at San Jose during the fairest month
of the year. 1t will not be sufficient to
confine the visit to the city itself. It's per-
fectly kept country roads leading away in
all directions are an invitation which none
can afford to neglect Those running to
the east and the west ascend the noun
tains on either side, and from these heights
one may look down upon scene whose
enchantments can never fade. The splen-
did winding road to the summit of Mount
Hamilton, whence the Lick Observatory
watches the whole stretch of the valley
and the shining Bay of San Francisco, is
the most famous and wonderful drive in
California, terminating at the greatest OBJ
servatory in the world. 1t is not alone
strangers who may learn something of the
infinite variety and beauty of California
by visiting the carnival of roses; every
Californian who embraces the opportunity
will acquire an added fondness for the
charms of his State and an increased pride
in its plorieS