The Mankato free press. [volume] (Mankato, Blue Earth County, Minn.) 1879-1924, 1897-05-21
LETTER FROM w. r. ROBERTS.
He Speaks of Former rlankato People
in California

He Speaks of Former rlankato People
in California.
w. W. Paddock has received let
ter from w. r. Roberts, former resi-
dent of Mankato who now resides at
Montalvo, Ventura county, California.
We clip the following from it, belieV-
ing that it will be of interest to many
of our readers:
ALTHOUGH California has almost
all kinds of weather, the beauty of it
is that if you are too cold or too warm
all you have to do is to move five or
ten miles and get to paradise. This
place is the evenest in temperature of
any spot that l ever saw on earth.
You know San Diego thinks her
climate is about right-we admit that
it is very good-yet Ventura county
has less heat and less frost, which to
my notion makes it grand place to
live in, especially for old people.
son the 18th ult. we spent very
pleasant evening at Mr.. and Mrs.
Ready's martha Seward) in COM
memoration of the battle of Lexing-
ton, but more particularly the Sind
birthday anniversary of Father A. D.
Seward, who with his amiable wife
enjoyed the pleasures of the &C.
ooc;op nc r,,,,ob DC pooct pf tho uO1puar
people. We numbered SO adults and
5 or 20 children, who couldn't keep
still long enough to be counted. The
exercises Of the evening consisted of
music, declarations, fun and refresh
ments. Mr.. Seward recited an original
poem entitled My Mother, which was
excellent. Others spoke pieces that
were much appreciated. After re-
freshments, l asked Mr.. Seward to
favor US swith an old comic piece
called Major McCarty.' This brought
a roar of laughter from young and old,
who soon after dispersed with jolly
good feeling. long to be remembered.
'AbOutra month ago, Josiah and
Abel Keene stopped with US over
night. Josiah lives almost in sight,
yet it is twenty miles. l think Abel
will make California his home after
awhile.
Eastern people /. coming in the
winter and seeing the flowers in bloom
and the humming birds fitting from
bush to bush find much greater con-
trast than in summer time, and
although our summers are warm
enough for comfort, yet we have none
of that sweltering heat that you have
in Mankato. Midsummer here never
finds US out riding without coat any
more than an Englishman without
his umbrella.
SIT is said that nine-tenths of the
Lima beans are raised in this valley.
We also raise great variety Of small
beans. The price of beans at present
will hardly warrant the trouble of
raising them. We trust that the new
tariff if it ever comes) will help our
case, both with beans and fruit. The
principal fruit in this vicinity is the
apricot. The walnut does fairly well.
Prunes do well in the canyons. We
raise quite variety of apples, but
they are not equal to the Oregon,
Washington or Michigan apples. With
US, SO near the ocean, the orange and
lemon will not do very extra, but
right in sight, ten miles east of US, is
one of the finest orchards in the state.
The change in five or ten miles here
is greater than people living east of
the Rockies can comprehend. Josiah
Keene has an olive orchard and fine
vineyard (raisin grape). Montalvo is
a small place. We are about three
miles east Of the ocean, on a mesa of
about 200 feet altitude. We think
that the ocean view is grand; to watch
the boats and ships one never tires.
sour youngest daughter, Rena, lives
in Ventura, and the second, Clara,
lives two miles this side of Ventura.
Harry is in Nevada City, near Sacra-
mento, practicing dentistry"