Pleasantville weekly press. (Pleasantville, N.J.) 1890-1911, 1897-03-10
LETTER FROM CALIFORNIA.
A Journey Across the Continent
by a PIeasantville Citizen.

A Journey Across the Continent
by a Pleasantville Citizen.
NUMBER NINE.
1t is interesting to watch the progress
OF human events, especially in the tide
of immigration. Only few years ago,
when sailing ships landed the surplus of
lrelands population on our shores, (our
people were alarmed,) how soon they
became Americanized. After the Irish,
came other nationalities, principally Ger
mans. The monster steam ferries land
at Castle Garden, total of millions,
who have filled the great West to sub
due the wild prairies and feed thu world.
The ever alert Yankee is with item to
mingle and AmericaDjze. And now it may
be asked, ''where is the Dutch? Here, in
California, we have samples of these emil
grants from every Western state. No
Irish, no Dutch, no Yankee. Like q
bowl of egg nogg, they are stirred to-
gether, all Americanized and all one ma
tionality.
The emigrant, on his arrival at his des-
tination in the West, can get clear title
to his possession and with few dollars
left he can buy implements of agricul-
ture, but here in California the fees of the
record searchers are often exorbitant
and in some cases prohibitory. Another
class are the alleged lawyers, who throw
impediments in the way SO as to provoke
litigation. To such an extent are these
frauds practised that the British Consul
General in behalf of his constituents has
induced the State Board of Trade. to
take action in their behalf, and now
there is bill before the Legislature to
establish a finally in land titles. The
Los Angeles Times says: For more than
As years, wealthy people have been COM
ing here and going back again eastward
to live, just because they could, in many
instances, get no fair nor equitable title
to such lands as they desire to purchase,
and if a system of proper conveyance
were in vogue millions of Eastern capital
would have been invested here in land
improvements"
California went through an unhealthy
"boOm, and since then real estate has lain
dormant but improvements have stead
lily gone forward, and population rapid
ly increased. If no drawbacks stop the
progress, in ten years the value of real
estate will greatly increase and the
population double itself. The lovely
winter climate and rich productive soil
will ever tempt her Eastern neighbors.
The rabbit drive we spoke of in our last
letter did not come off on account of the
storm. In some drives, they slaughter
ten or twelve thousand.
Snow fell in some parts of Los Angeles
on Saturday On the mountains it lay
very low down. On Monday and Tues
day mornings, we saw frost and ice. We
made a trip of sc miles over the kite shap-
ed track, so called from it's forming great
loop, leaving the city in one direction,
and returning in another. The trip is
considered one of California's chief at
fractions. 1t runs through an improved
country, and 16 beautiful towns. Aswe
pass along, the snow-clad mountains
seem like great walls of snow to stop
the cold billiards. from the North, and
protect the warm green valleys we are
passing through.
Conspicuous on this route is Mount
Lowe, Wilson Peak, Old Badly, Grey
back and San Bernardino, mountains
The villages, at their base, as we pass
by, look like mere pictures, the distance
being sufficient to make objects small.
The mountains background, with defec-
tive vision, brings it near. Conditions
that can only exist in a raretied atmOs-
phere. Groves of shapely live oaks trees
in fields of green pastures with patches
of California Wild poppies forms a pic
ture a little too nice for me to describe.
1t is a corner of Lucky" Baldwin's
ranch, "a remarkable character of the
Pacific coast,) and it contains Al, AIS
acres, and embraces several Mexican
grants. There are 700 acres in citrus
fruits, 800 in vines, 5000 in pasture, 400
in alfalfa, 1 900 in woodland, DIN hops,
500 in corn and general farming, and
many acres in barley wheat and oats.
On this ranch are 600 horses, GOO of
which are thoroughbred 100 mules,
% 900 sheep, 10000 orange and lemon
trees. 1t grows oranges, lemons,
peaches, prunes, apricots, olives, apples,
pears, grapes, figs, pomgranate, perslm-
mons, loquat, guavas, English walnuts,
chestnuts, peanuts, etc.
There are six fine avenues, one being
five miles in leugth. and one hundred feet
wide " ith four rows of eucalyptus trees.
There are sixty miles of other roads, and
a mile race-track. The total value ofthe
products of this ranch, for 1896 was
$240,000. To irrigate, .one hundred
miles of pipe are laid, in addition to nu-
merous artesian wells, reservoirs,
streams and bitches. There are eleven
school-houses, many residences, ware v
houses, barns. etc. One thousand acres
of this land is oil-bearing. We saw the
little owls perched on the hillock by the
squirrel hole ready to dart in on the ap-
proach of the enemy, 1t is SAID the
squirrel, owl and rattle-snake live peaca-
bly, together in the same hole. Miles
and miles of orange groves, laden with
ripe fruit, kept us peeping from side to
side OF the observation car, as each
seemed to vie with the other in richness
and beauty,
Vineyards, prune and walnut orchards
at this season of the year, have no foil
age. The grape vine, after bearing, is
cut off, leaving scraggly stump. From
this, new shoots spring, on which the
grapes grow. Arriving at Redlands, we
found town of Z ,000inhabitants andlo-
Gated in the foothills of the Santa Anna
valley. There are many thousand acres of
orange groves surrounding the town
which is less than ten years old. Redland's
oranges are celebrated, and bring good
prices.
We took csrraige for Smiley Heights,
a hill rising 300 feet above the valley,
and with one side nearly perpendicular.
Eight years ago this hill was a triangle
of sage bush and cactus. Now tits made
to bloom with almost every known trop-
ical plant and shrub, and is shaded with
rare trees. Zig-zag roads wind around
the hill-sldes aud up to the summit, from
which the country, with villages and
groves, can be seen for many miles away.
In the distance, and towering high in
the heavens, and clothed in white man
tie of snow; stands San Jacinto noun
tains. With US, it was still; but high
up on the mountains we could see the
snow drifting with the wind. Here the
Smiley brothers have two fine cottages,