Richmond daily palladium. [volume] (Richmond, Ind.) 1876-1904, 1900-10-06
CALIFORNIA
About the Country
and Richmond People There.
cadence Richmond Palladium.

| Correspondence Richmond Palladium.
/ RIVERSIDE, Cal, Sept. 80.
Dear Friends in Richmond We
/ we're told before we left home that
we must write letter for the paper.
But SO far our impressions of the
country have been so vague that we
haven t felt like giving expression TO
| them.
We left home September 8, and
after very pleasant journey over
| the Santa F'e we reached our destina
| tion on the morning of the 18th, to
find ourselves tired and just little
| homesick. When we stepped of the
train at Highgrove, Cal. and saw
| the aforesaid train pull out and take
away all the pleasant acquaintances
We had formed on the trip, we felt
lonely indeed. To make matters
worse. we were very much disap-
pointed in California. Eastern PEG
pie had praised it until we were ex
pecting a Paradise. Imagine if you
can our surprise and disappoint
ment to find the dust several inches
deep, and what little vegetation one
could see covered with dust
and parched until it cracked
and crumbled beneath our feet.
OF course we found the
orange groves we had been so anx-
iously looking for, but even they
failed to fulfill our ideal The fruit
has not yet begun to ripen, and it
looks green and uninteresting to us
When we left home everything was
so green and fresh, and on our way
to Chicago the fields were one mass
Of green and yellow, yet we said to
ourselves, THAT is nothing to what
we will see in California And then
to come here and find everything so
parched and so little of vegetation
our thermometers went down to zero
in a very short time, and we longed
for bone and Richmond as we had
never longed for anything in our
lives before. OF course we knew
this was their dry season, but we
supposed they irrigated and that we
should find everything green and
fresh. Water for irrigating IS very
expensive, and only few use it
for anything but their oranges.
This is especially true of the
ranchers at Highgrove, where
we landed and received our first I'M
preston. In Riverside you find |
many beautiful lawns as green as |
you find at home, but they are not in |
the majority, by any means. 1t
looks very strange to our eastern eyes
to see nice home surrounded by a |
big yard without any vegetation ex
cept few neglected rose trees that
look almost ashamed to bloom amid
such surroundings.
| suspect our inconsistencies had in
fluenced our first impressions very
much, but we felt that if we ever
got home again, California would
have no further attractions for us.
Yet since we have left the ranch
and moved to town where we can
near the rattle and bang of the street
,ars that speak to us OF civilization
md home, we are better satisfied and
ind much in California to like and
% admire. We feel sure that if we
'emain long enough we shall learn to
owe it. The climate is fine and there
S something in the sunshine that
,uts new life into one and makes one
eel that life is worth living; and
hat there are things to be dreaded
more than to spend winter IN Cali
Ornia.
The oranges will begin to ripen be-
ore long, and then the groves will
e more attractive. They bloom for
be next crop while the ripe fruit is
till on the trees. They will begin J.,
licking and packing about Thanks
living, so as to have the first ship
lents ready for the holiday
rade The pickers get three cents
OK for nayels and four cents a
OK for seedlings. The seedlings
re harder to pick, as
heir trees grow SO much
igher ana longer ladders and slower
'ork are necessary. The average i
ECKER makes from 81 to 81. 80 per
ay.
Riverside is a beautiful little city,
nd very business-like. 1t has fine
treet car system with the longI
cars. Politics is the
theme of conversation, and
S we are all Republicans at our
oarding house we feel sure Mckin
" will carry the day.
We have called upon Mrs. Vanl
hermann, former Richmondite, and
ad from her a most cordial welcome
he has been here a number of years
III IL very lolo vi Sdilloi oIl
Ter heart still turns to her old home
nd friends in Richmond She would
eturn if it were not for her daugh-
err, Mrs. Cora Van Aernam Peters,
vho, though having recovered en-
irely of throat and lung troubles, is
till afraid of the eastern winters
md their possible effect on her
ealth, lest they might undo all Cali
ornia has done for her.
Mr. and Mrs John Severding (the
after nee Miss Olive Dickinson) haveI
fine orange ranch at Highgrove,
hree miles from here, and are very
much in love with California, te-ling
S we will never be satisfied in the
asst again.
MIR. and Mrs. |. Alan Holman, Who'll
anne when we did, live at High
rove, also, and have a nice little
lace surrounded by orange groves
nd flowers of every variety. Mr..
gorge Stevenson, nephew of Mrs.
Iolman and son of John Stevenson !
( Richmond, who came with us and
making his home with the Hol-i
lans. is also in love with the count
ry, and hopes to derive benefit FRONT
be change rs soon as he becomesI
cclimated. IC
E,,. .ba,a ara two ax;IaS who faaYt