The united opinion. [volume] (Bradford, Vt.) 1881-1970, 1900-10-05
Letter from California.
Los GATos,
Santa Clara county, California,
September 10Th, 1900.

September 10Th, 1900.
EDITOR OF UNITED OPINION, Bradford:
VIII you allow little space for Los
Gatos, the Gem of the foot hills. as 1t is
called. 1t is con idered as justly entitled
to the appelation by all who have visited
the town, but although the first view, OF
the town is strikingly beautiful, one has
to live here through seasons to enjoy all
of the delights for the eye. The change
of color from the first new grass which
comes with the first display of autumn
tints to poisoning time in March, when
every tree is decked in pink or white or
yellow. The orange tree having both ripe
fruit and flowers at the same time, send
ing out delicate perfume. The sky changes
are grand as the leaf changes at times it
becomes most beautiful picture in the
play of light and shade and color. The
climate is as near perfection as one could
desire the year round at this season it is
very hot for a few hours in the day, but
by three o'clock in the afternoon a de-
lightful breeze comes down the canyon
from the mountains which gets cooler and
cooler from that time on till morning; it
takes the blankets for covers and from
this it never varies through the seasons;
one is sure of refreshing sleep. The sky
these nights remind us of nights in the
late fall in New England. The stars gilt
ter sharply and the whole looks so bril-
llantly cold
There is nothing in the tree line in the
south thatcompale with the beauty OF the
many varieties here; the stately oaks,
palms and the graceful pepper tree with
its long delicate branches shading the
walks. The air is scented with choice
roses from the gardens all through the
autumn and winter. Here the heliotrope
blooms the year around. the Gala throws
up its white cups in mid-winter, is never
troubled by frost. Doctors in the east
have sent hundreds of consumptiyes here
in preference to Los Angeles. The peo--
pie are nearly all eastern people or old
Californians of English descent. 1t is
strictly an American community IN its
moral, religious, social and political at.
mosphere. What more can be wanted OF
people
The town is situated on series of ter
races, from four hundred to six hundred
feet above sea level. on the north slope of
the Santa Cruz mountains. The terraces
are on both sides of Los Santos creek and
form beautiful residence sites, the hills
front, the bay shimmers in the sun in the
distance, Mount Hamilton rears its head
above the peaks to the right, while Tama-
lpais guards the range that stretches
away round to the left.
OF all the rich variety of fruit the
French prune stands first. Most wonder
full the fruit seems to many, but to one
who has seen what good fruit and the
many varieties we have in New England
there is nothing surprising here with such
wealth of sun, but it seems more wonder
full that we can have in New England so
much in that line with our short, cold
seasons. | would like to know If the peo-
pie think of it when they grumble about
old New En2land. the home of the brave
and true. 1t is almost solid orchard as
far as the eye can reach here; going out
to the ranches we see whole acres OF trays
filled with prunes where they do their
own drying. Apricots and peaches have
gone by They have cannery here
which employs five hundred and seventy
five people, men, women and children. 1t
makes business of all kinds lively during
the summer The cannery has capa-
city of 10000 cases for~the season. a2
pounds to the case There is also dryer.
Whole families come in here from the
mountains and live in tents through the
season and carry away large sums of
money, while it is almost impossible to
get white women or girls for housework,
they will work in fruit. Normal school
girls in vacation earn much that way 10
work in orchards is considered very
healthy. At a ranch one man has dryer
and packing house for his own use. Last
year he packed 10000 boxes of French
prunes that filed 40 twenty-ton carloads.
A great deal of fruit went to waste this
summer for want of help IN the oIcharas.
The canneries have an extended season
by using mountain, foot hill and valley
fruit. Wineries have just began running
for grapes and on the mountains they are
packing them also. Grapes are not any
better than those raised in the southwest
of Georgia, but the different varieties OF
oranges are far ahead of any we had IN
the south.
While there is so much work for labor
ers in the fruit season it is dull Through
the winter. The hotels, boarding houses
and ranches are filled with city boarders
through the summer, while the noun
tains are dotted with the white tents of
campers. Many San Francisco people
have lovely residences here, where they
come to live through the hot season.
Away back on the mountains deer and
all game abound. while the sight of a.
string of mountain trout can't be beat.
There are many mineral springs pop
ular spring is Pacific Congress spring, said
to be an exact duplicate of the Saratoga
Congress springs. On the mountain four
miles away there are springs which are
the same as those of Mount Thasta, OF
which we had with others, drink from
as the train we came here on halted with
in few step of it. Taken directly there
it lis certainly most delicious drink,
whatever it may be in bottles,
Los Gatos is fifty miles from San Fran
cisco.
MARTHA l.. STEVENS.