The herald., 1897-12-05

not be pleased with the task of writing
abundant and one bears little danger
of plagiarism with the evolutions of to-
day so full of change from preceding
types that he has little difficulty in find
ing something new and an abundance
of accomplishment in many lines
strange and novel alike to initiate and
native.
There may be nothing decidedly pic
turesque In the annals of the utilitarian
upon whom the mantle of Southern Cali
fornia's glory has fallen from the Shout
ders of the slow -plodding padre, moth
ing poetical, but certainly everything
practical, novel and astonishing. In
fostering it's individuality this portion
of the commonwealth has called to its
aid nothing weird, grotesque or disa-
greeable. Its mark has been made by
enterprise, industry and intellectually.
Its pioneers found that nature, in pro-
ducing a perfect climate, had been
obliged to close the lood-gates of heaven
and with unparalleled energy they be-
gan to open those of the perpetual foun-
tains of EARTH and 10. they produced
luxuriance of soil without it's concomi
tants of disagreeable miasm and en-
demic disease; later they converted into
useful force the energy rolling down
with the crystal fluid and harnessed it
to the utilities of modern life, making it
to give light and power to the economy
of domestic existence and business con-
venience; they encountered a great in
dustry in the throes of death from de-
....% 60, @.x~,o
perhaps in the history of the world ma :
tural science pitted one class of the ami
NAL kingdom against another to the sal
walton of the products of the land; or
they appealed to chemical science and
received an agent that has slaughtered
it's billions and vivfied and perpetuated
one of the greatest fruit industries in the
world, and all for the protection of Il
new fruit which they had transplanted
and perfected to the astonishment and
delectation of civilized nations and
which has brought millions of dollars to
further transform the wilderness and to
make thousands of homes bloom with
peace and prosperity. So wonderful has
been the transformation that the havoc
of landmark and tradition is little noted
or cared for, and progress runs with the
force and speed of a modern express,
as compared with the gait of the preced
ing hundred years.
AZUSA
Without following further the novel
ties of Southern California's progress,
AZusa claims attention as one locality
that has done her share toward the ad-
vancement of the name and fame of the
state. OF it's pre- monastic history
nothing is known. Seventy years ago
the mission fathers pastured half a hun
dred thousand horses, sheep and cattle
between this point and Los Angeles.
Only those familiar with the half-for-
gotten lore of the Spanish pioneers can
form proper conception of the trans
formation the last generation has ac-
complished. Far more astonishing is
the progress of the last decade
Eight years ago the writer found
great difficulty in securing one box of
exhibition oranges for citrus fair The
present season there will be shipped
from the three principal stations 100000
boxes of marketable oranges -Four
large packing houses will be run almost
day and night during the season to care
for the output at the AZusa station
alone. Two commodious lemon curing
houses are in operation throughout the
year, and strawberries, dried fruits and
produce of all kinds are sent out in al
most unlimited quantities.
Hundreds of fruit farmers and their
help are engaged constantly in planting,