The Dalles times-mountaineer. [volume] (The Dalles, Or.) 1882-1904, 1898-02-19
LETTER FROM CALIFoRNIA.
Sunshine, Ripe Fruit and Wild Flowers the
Order in That State

Order in That State.
ALDER GLEN SPRINGS, Feb. I3
ED. TINES -MoUNTAINEER:
According to promise will attempt
brief outline of few features of this
country that are of interest TO we Oh e.
gonians, especially so at this season of
the year. l shall not attempt, how
ever, a pen picture as highly colored
and as artistically drawn as would the
dashing (San Joaquin) Miller, or the
notable Artemus Ward. but rather as
| | see it.
We stopped off day in Colusa
county. also day in Yolo, and part of
a day and night in Santa Rosa. In
| Colusa we saw a few of California's
big farms-and n curse to the country
they are. To illustrate, near the little
town of Maxwell q Mr.. Campbell is
! farming 10000 acres to wheat, which
requires from forty to fifty teams. all
mules, of six to ten animals to each
team, and he, like most all the farm
| ers here, is a renter, the land being
owned by San Francisco capitalists
| This Is sample of the mauy hundred
| large farms in the valleys of Sacra-
mento and San Joaquin, ard generally
each of these farms are supplied with
their own huge warehouse on rail
road, where their immense crops are
hauled for shipment.
Here, also, is the winter home of in
numereble wild geese. SO great are
the numbers of these grain destroyers
that their number is estimated by the
acre instead of hundreds or thousands,
as we do in Oregon, and they are herd
ed off the young grain by men and
boys hired for that special purpose.
The turkey industry, on what is
called the goose plains or waste land,
is almost incredible, and would sound
fishy were l to state the number of
tons that are ordinarially shipped by
the average raiser of these birds.
Doubtless no state in the Union
maintains finer avenues and roads than
this. Lined on either side with the
stately gum trees, cyprus, pepper and |
palms of various kinds. also the Arab
ian rubber, together with many ever
greens, forms picture of beauty, as |
we'll as a feature of comfort. These |
beautiful drives reach from town TO
town, and are sprinkled as regularly as
are the streets in the cities, and livery
men inform Us that their teams are
these roads.
When we ran into Yolo county our |
attention was attracted to the fine Or
chards and vineyards, the like ofwhich |
we had never seen, and the further W.
travelled tho more extensive these |
great industries, and from Santa Rosa |
to Cloverdale, 35 miles, it is one con-
tinuous vineyard, with dozen or more |
wineries. One of these vineyards, |
belonging to q colony who own six |
miles square of land, bought 5000 tons
of grapes last season.
While passing through these densely
fruit belts, our observations |
and inquiries are frequently Interrupt
ed by the call for change of cars at
the next statiLn.
Strange as it may seem, this country
cannot produce fine quality of apples
or potatoes, and hence the Oregon
product is in brisk demand, but mem
tion of the inYincable Oregon beauty
girl in connection with Oregon's big
red apples, never heard here.
Possibly the Oregon bellies are not
swift enough for Californians.
1t seems almost out of place for the
wild flowers to be in full bloom the
middle of February, but when we gaze
on the orange orchards, loaded with
'ipe, lucious fruit, fresh vegetables in
,he market and men on the steets in
heir shirt sleeves, women resting in
heir hammocks in the shade, we begin
% realize we are in the land of sun
.hine. F. S. Is.