Orleans County monitor. [volume] (Barton, Vt.) 1872-1953, 1898-03-07
LETTER FROM CALIFORNIA.

montS. 1t derives It's name from Uh6
circumstance that the first party of
European explorers camped here
Aug. 2, 1869, the feast day Of the Ro-
man Catholic church, known as sour
Lady the Queen of the Angels - hence
Los Angeles, the town of the angels.
1t was incorporated in 1850 with a
population of $500, grew slowly for
the first twenty years; more than
doubled in the next ten, and in the
next eighteen years the increase was
more than ten fold, making the pop
ulation at present more than 10000.
Such rapid growth occasioned some
booms and co1lapses, but it looks as if
it had now reached solid foundation
on which to build steadily and surely.
1t is such convenient center for SO
much that is interesting and beautiful
in Southern California, with excellent
travelling facilities to reach the differ
ent resorts. The architecture Of the
business blocks and the home centers
is very attractive. The stores are
commodious and we'll equipped with
such tempting displays of goods both
useful and ornamental. There seems
to be nothing lacking but enough
purchasers. And here I will say, if [
get wild over the wonders of Califor-
MIA, I should call my level headed
New England ideas into play before
attempted any money making schemes
here. But for those who have secured
means to retire from business, and for
tourists this is a charming spot.
Hedge rows of Gala lilies, rose trees
clinging in masses over the porches,
heliotrope climbing up beside win
dows and doorways laden with bios
SONS, with such wealth of beautiful
shade trees, make picture not easily
duplicated. The pepper trees, which
are used SO abundantly for shade in
this part of California, designate the
queen Of shade trees; I wish I could
picture them, but no language can do
it. Some of the Oldest trees have
grown to immense size. The wide
spreading branches with dropping
twigs, long pendent leaf stalks with
delicate, fine, compound leaves. Some
are in blossom and some in fruit. The
latter is more noticeably beautiful as
it is red and hangs in long clusters,
while the former is of pale green.
The fruit is somewhat smaller than
the edible pepper. 1t is considerably
aromatic but not sufficiently pungent
to be marketable. The shadows from
these trees in the moonlight or the
electric lights make the most exquis
ite pictures for one to gaze upon. The
eucalyptus is another tree quite as in
teresting if not as beautiful, it is SO
valuable for many purposes. The gum
is useful for medicinal purposes; the
humming- bird and honey-bee seek it's
blossoms, it is useful for fuel as we'll
as shade, as every part of the tree,
even to the leaves, will burn while
green. Long rows Of them are plant
ed on the prairies to break the vio-
lence of the wind, and some orange
groves are hedged in by them for pro-
lection. One singular feature of these
trees is they shed their bark instead
of their foliage. Of what we call ever
green trees, there is great and
pleasing variety, many rare specimens
not seen in our locality. The cypress
seems to be great favorite, and is
trimmed to grow in such variety of
contours. From large cool arbor,
lofty ornamental gateways, tall trees
in conical shapes, down to hedges
topped with all sorts of geometrical
figures. Then there is great variety
of palms, acacias and other beautiful
trees too numerous to mention.
The church privileges here are most
excellent. Church edifces large, nice
and cheerful. The desks occupied by
such eloquent and earnest speakers.
Then for outside talent we can hear
such lectures as Bishop McCabe, Lieut..
Peary and Gen. Booth, to keep pace
with our home friends in intellectual
vigor. Another reason why we like
to linger here we have about us such
familiar names and faces as Jones,
Ellis, Clement, Leonard, and at Pasa-
dena, another beautiful city within
easy access by electric cars, Brock
way, Twombly and Randall; and then
to make it more homelike, we have
had the companionship Of some young
people from the neighboring town of
Newport, Mr.. Pearly and Miss Inez
Miller, on many of our sight seeing
excursions. A TRAVELLER.
CONCLUDED NEXT WEEK.