Martinsburg herald. [volume] (Martinsburg, W. Va.) 1881-1920, 1898-09-24
EDITORIAL CORRESPONDENCE.
TRULY WONDERFUL
Are the Capabilities of Santa Clara
County, Cal.
san JOSH. CAL, Sept. "a.

ties and capabilities manifest. In the
production of fruits, berries and nuts
it is limitless. Here grow apples,
peaches, pears, piums, cherries, april
cots, prunes, oranges, lemons, figs,
olives, grapes of every variety, al
monds. English walnuts, black and
white walnuts, and there is no telling
what else. Wheat and barley are the
chief cereals. They try to grow corn
but few blades and the tassel is all
| have seen. Sweet and Irish pota-
toes are very fine. Grass is not seen
except upon lawns. Alfalfa is luxur-
liant when irrigated. Straw is used
as hay and is said to be superior to
timothy. Vegetables are good where
water is used. Strawberries are fine
and bear three crops year. They
are now abundant. Beets grown here
are the sweetest ever tasted, as are
canteloupes, but watermelons are not
a success as rule.
Prunes and grapes are rapidly be.
coming the principal products. This
is the time OF the prune harvest and
busy time it is. The fruit is allowed
to fall to the ground and is then gath
cred into crates and hauled to the dry
ing establishment, unless the grower
concludes to dry it himself The fruit
is first dipped in hot lye, which causes
the skin to crack slightly, and is then
spread on trays about 3 by feet and
put out in the sun for 4 or s days
when the trays are stacked up in the
field or yard for week, during which
latter period the fruit cures and also
increases in weight. Finally. it is put
into sacks and is ready for shipment.
Grapes are not only shipped all
over the world, but immense quaint
ties of wine is made. The wine bust
ness is not as good as it was some
years since. The price is now very
low-about IS cents gallon-but the
business goes on.
The manufacture of olive oil is be
coming quite an industry. 1t is said
the product is the finest in the world,
and as the tree hourishes and bears
abundantly, it is safe thing to invest
in an olive orchard. Another feature
is the ease with which the tree is
propagated. A twig stuck into the
ground will almost invariably grow.
Almonds are not so much OF favor
lite, as the hull does not readily sepa-
rate from the nut. English walnuts
are vigorous growers and good bear
ers. The nuts are of superior quail
ty. Oranges and lemons are only
grown for home use here. A remark
able feature is that it is not I'M
common to see three different crops
on an orange tree at one time. of
course two.year-old orange is not
the finest, but the last year crop is
fairly good. Peaches are practically
a failure this year, but have seen
some that were very fine.
Sunday went 70 Santa Cruz,
beautiful town on the coast. A mar
row guage railroad crosses the Coast
Range, passing through what is
known as the 'by tree" section.
Those trees are enormous. The faith
er of the flock is 80 feet in diameter
and 800 feet high. They grow just
as close as they can stand, often touch.
ing each other. That is accounted
for by the fact that when one is cut or
dies a natural death a half dozen
spring up around the stump and be-
ing rapid growers the top soon reach.
es the sunlight. Red wood lumber
made from these trees is used for
every purpose. 1t is without doubt
the best all-purpose lumber in the
world. The beach at Santa Cruz is
an exact counterpart of that at New
port, r. l., but the water of the Pa
cihc is colder than the Atlantic, hence,
bathing is not so popular.
The climate is perfection. There
are two seasons-wet and dry. There
is little, if any, rain from April to No
vember. From November to April
there are few dry days, yet storms are
uncommon and overshoes are rarely
needed. There is gentle, steady