The Cook County herald. [volume] (Grand Marais, Minn.) 1893-1909, 1898-03-12
ON THE PACIFIC SLOPE
a Word About Big Vegetables -verdant
Pastures, Green Lawns and Bios Pr
soming Flowers Every ~
Month of tina wear

a WORD About Big egetables-V erdant
Pastures, Green Lawns and Bios -
soming Flowers Every ~
Month Of the year.
Written for The Cook County Herald.
DEAR EDIToR:-And here we are still
at Pismo Beach. Nature did a thousand
times more for this place than man. It
is the fsherman's paradise and have we
found the turfman's ideal drive. The
sand that is washed and spread and
beaten by the constant flashing of the
waves is so hard that a horse scarcely
leaves the imprint Of it's hoof, and yet it
it is yielding and easy to travel over.
There was big wharf here year ago
large and vessels touched, and the
people in this vicinity enjoyed the pre-
.vailing low freight and passenger rates
as result of competition, but the South
ern Pacific Railway Company, am told,
got control OF the wharf later, AID all 1T
once ocean vessels ceased to call, and
then the dear people had to receivs their
freight by rail, and gradually the rate
crawled up. The people here are con-
tsantly reminding me of the heartessness
of the Southern Pacific Railroad Com
pany. Said an old farmer to me TODAY:
"We can't ship anything in the line of
farm produce to San Francisco from here
for the freight rates would consume it,"
AT Santa Margarita the same unanimous
vail went mp, and at Bakersfield the
alleged exorbitant charges of this giant
monopoly is the favorite theme. G.. P.
Huntington is at the head of this corpor-
alton, and if I may believe a tenta part
of what L hear concerning this autocrat
be certainly must be fend incarnate.
Below Pismo Beach SIX miles is the
Arroyo Grande country. Here the largest vege-
tables and finest apples grown in the state are said
to mature. It was in this neck of land near the
sea. that single cakbages which weigh 100 pounds
are actually grown, and pumpkins too large for
enc man to lift into wagon. I saw some fields
OF potatoes in this vicinity that were marvels.
l saw Photographic view OF field of squashes
grown last year, and the ground did appear to be
so completely hidden with this vegetable that
one would hardly be able to get through the field
without stepping on squash. And the climate
has quite as much to do with this rank growth
a. the soil. 1t is no exaggeration to say that
sDecenbers as pleasant as May.' There is al
most no cold weather at all here. The rays of the
sun warm mother earth ard much vegetation is
rank and green twelve months Of each year In
deed. the verdancy of winter far exceeds that Of
summer. for in the summer the meadows and
pastures and grain fields present dead brown
appearance while in the winter, during the dam
or rainy season, the pastures are at their best,
andthe dark green Of erainfelds and meadows
present q landscape scene that is eharmingly
beautiful as well novel to the Eastsrn Ira yeer
Many kinds Of fruits and vegetable ara soId here
by the pound. Oranges and lemons and ii fact
all citrus fruits, are retailed by the dozen The
price OF oranges varies, but when the crop Is
harvested it ranges from SO cents to 90 per boy
III the orchards. Very fine oranges are sold by
lers at 10 and Is cents per dozen; lemons
are still cheaper, while lines retail at cents
per dozen The large fruit growers contract
their fruit month before it natures. HE con
tractor picks and packs II himself. The utmost
care and slosest given 10 the packing