The pioneer express. [volume] (Pembina, Dakota [N.D.]) 1883-1928, 1902-04-11
Los Gatos, California.
March % 1QQs

Los Gatos, California.
March, %, 1902.
DEAR PIoNEER-EXPREss:-
We've been gallivanting around at
such a rate since last wrote, l hardly
know where to begin. think l wrote
you from Penryn, the home of all sorts
of fruit. We are now in the Santa Clara
valley-known throughout the world as
the home of the standby and dear old
boarding house friend, your uncle, the
prune. Don't think because l say they
raise prunes here, they can't grow any.
thing else. If you ask resident he will
tell you just the same here that they'll
tell you anywhere else in California, 1--WE
can raise anything here that can be
raised anywhere else, only ours are
larger and finer. havored." The main
industry however is prune growing, with
wine grapes as a close second. Other
fruits are raised, including a limited
number of oranges and lemons, and a
large number of olives are grown. AS
we came over from Sacramento we
passed through a more level country.
Instead of getting their water from the
mountains, every fruit grower is his
own water company, and has windmill
and tank for irrigation purposes.
If the Lord ever made prettier To-
cation for town than Los Gatos,
haven't run up against it yet 1t lis
situated among the foothills of the Santa
Cruz Mountains and is surrounded on
almost three sides by beautiful hills
ranging from 500 to $500 feet in height.
The town is peculiarly laid out and the
main street is as crooked as though it
might haye been the path through which
| the Spanish maidens once drove their
festive COWS.
We had our first experience in hill
climbing here. Learning that an eccen-
trio Irish bachelor named Jerry Dudley
lived on the top of the hill, four of us
donned our climbing clothes" one Sum
day morning little after Z o'clock and
started up to call on him. The early
part OF our experience was most charm-
ing. The morning air was pure and
bracing, the sun was bright and there
was just enough dew on the grass and
wild flowers, to make them sparkle as we
trudged along. We followed well.de-
fined trail among the hills and up the
canons, crossing here and there a little
mountain stream, now and then coming
to an open place where the view was
magnificent. The trail got sleeper as we
neared the top and wondered why
man should build his home where he had
to work so hard to reach it. Perhaps he
did it to be free from social duties, for
imagine society is very exclusive W
there. We reached the summit about II
O'Clock and sat down to view the land"
and incidentally to eat lunch. From
here San Francisco, so miles away, was
visible to the naked eye and the houses
OF the ranchers in the valley below US
looked as small as fly specks on last
summers window pane. Up here Jerry
had modest cabin surrounded by quite
an orchard and vineyard, but instead of
responding to our knock, we found he
had set us good example and had gone
to church below. Jerry has 3 cabins on
the way up. Pm told he sometimes goes
to town and gets too tired" to 20 all
the way home in one journey, hence
these resting places. Our descent was
made in good deal less time, though
we found it far harder on our knees. We
reached home near o'clock, quite tired
out and warm, and for the next three or
four days we had abundant cause to re.
member our trip to Jerry's.
The season is about two weeks late so
we will not get to see the valley in
bloom. About April 9Th they hold what
they call blossom festival, when excur.
sions are run to the different towns and
drives are taken through the big prune !
orchards.
Prunes are not picked like other fruit.
When they get ripe and have reached
the proper sweetness they drop from the
trees. They are then gathered every
third day and dipped in strong, sweet I've,
which kills any insects and cracks the
skin Of the prune SO that the drying time
ls shortened considerably. They are
then spread on trays about 8 9 feet and
placed on the ground in the open air and
sun where they dry in from 6 to g.. days.
They are then gathered up and put
through q sweat and are exposedto the
fumes Of sulphur to kill any germs. From {