The Bourbon news. [volume] (Paris, Ky.) 1895-19??, 1897-09-24
CALIFORNIA FREAKS.
Some Monstrous GrOwths of VeEe-
tati0n.

of Los Angeles, recently, "but in all
other products of nature we, cam beat
the world" He is perhaps the eldest
seeGman ON the Pacific coast. What he
does not know about fruit, grain and
vegetables isnot worth knowing. When
asked about vegetable monstrosities
he refreshed. his memory for a moment
and then continued: "Of course, you
have heard of the big grape vine at
Santa Barbara, which covers am area of
three acres of land. Then there is the
monster rose bush at Santa Rosa.
remember, when a boy, l maveled at
the size of this floral plant. 1t grew TO
an enormous height, and completely
covered the house where it grew. Dur
ing my lifetime here in California /
have handled squashes running all the
way from $50 to 800 pounds each. Wa
termelons L have seem weighing from
35 to 100 pounds. Beets are frequently
known ON this coast weighing all the
way from 40 to IS pounds. remem-
Der one beet raised>at San Rafael which
weighed about 80 pounds. Last fall L
saw three onions, the aggregate weight
of which was nearly five pounds. In
the Pomona valley have known onions
weighing from IL to 21s pounds. To-
mato vines frequently grow ten or
twelve feet across, and 1 have often
sean radishes that looked like big tur-
nips."
"How about potatoes"
II sr11c yo1 o.
the Humboldt county potato which
weighed from three to four pounds. It is
not at all unusual to see cabbage weigh
ing from 35 to rs pounls. Some years
ago Mr.. Fox, who lived down in the
Santa Cruz mountains, raised a carrot
of the white Belgian variety which
weighed about % pounds. It was the
biggest carrot on record. In the way
of fruits we have raised ON this coast
enormous peaches and pears. The
largest pears that come to the San
Francisco market, of course, are what
they call pound pears, but have seen
them weighing 211s pounds"
At recent convention of fruit grow
ers held in Pomona E. P. Fowler, of
Paradise valley, exhibited remarka-
BILE assortment of deformed and alb
normal oranges. One of these defoTm-
tiles looked for all the world like a. pair
Of Jenuess Miller's patent leglets. AT
the same convention a farmer named
E. Cchulen!berg, of Claremont, exhibit
ed variety of strawberries known as
the Triumph lie Grande," measuring
three inches in diameter.
AT Kelsey's orchard, near Santa Bar
bara, is remarkable plum tree, known
as the Japan plum, which was planted
in 1876. The fruit is heart-shapedn and
Of a rich yellow color. The plums
from this tree are frequently from
eight to ten inches in circumference.
Probably there is not a spot in Cali
fornia more prolific of enormous vege-
table growth than Santa Rosa. Here
is located the mammoth rose tree al
ready mentioned. There are a score of
dwellings in the vicinity completely
are trained like vines.
IN Los Angeles H, L. Baker, of Union
street, displays a rose bush which has
reached height of 16 feet. Grated
upon its branches are IL varieties of
roses. The parent stalk is II years of
age. The stalk, a few inches above the
ground is five inches in circumference
S. H., of Ontario, recently discovered
wonderful freak of nature in the
shape of monstrous apple blossom ON
one of the trees in his orchard. The
blossom, which resembled a large
sized rose, measured 91s inches in cir
conference and Is what may be called
a second-crop blossoms An ordinary
apple blossom contains five petals,
while this one has 80 or 40. The big
grape vine at monticello, near Santa
Barbara, is famous. The vine was
planted about 40 years ago. The
grapes are of the Mission variety. The
parent stalk is 46 inches in circumfer-
ence one foot from the ground. Where
it commences to branch, three feet
from the ground, it's circumference is
63 inches. The vine yielded Az tons of
grapes in a single season. The vine
covers an area of 100 by 90 feet. Some
years ago a photographer, in looking
about the golden state for views, came
across a giant cactus near Los Angeles,
the trunk of which was six feet four
inches i'm circumference. He also
found in the same vicinity pampas
plumes growing to the height of ten
feet.
At the rooms of the state board of
trade In San Francisco some remarka-
BILE products of California soil are on
exhibition. Last year, when the sea-
son was well advanced, pumpkins
weighing 267 pounds were upon ex-
hibition there. There were also cab
bages weighing 95 pounds, onions that
tipped the scales at five pounds, and
huge sweet potato, raised near Santa
Ana, that weighed 25 pounds. Apples
weighing 20 ounces are frequently ON
exhibition, and a five-gallon glass jar
contains eight pears, the weight OF
which is 33 1-3 pounds. These eight
pears completely fill the five-gaTlon