Orleans County monitor. [volume] (Barton, Vt.) 1872-1953, 1903-05-25

jewelers., etc, two large hotels, the
haywood and Liersch House, two
lumber sheds, and four large grain
warehouses; several hundred feet In
length. Here are stored thousands of
bushels wheat and barley for shipment.
There are four churches and six
saloons. People who are so disposed
don't go dry in Corning any more
than they do in Middlebury, VT, but
as a general thing they behave better.
| suppose it is because they are more
accustomed to it, although on several
occasions / have seen saloon custom
ers on the street with swollen heads,
black eyes and broken noses. The
time is coming when the saloons will
have to go in Corning. The eastern
element simply won't stand tor 1t.
Vermont and New Hampshire are now
twin sisters in the hellish traffic they
propose to carry on. The time will
come when they will see their mistake
and 60 back to decency and prohibi-
ton. The roads here are the finest in
this section, hard as pavement.
Everyone rides wheel and many ride
horseback. The ladies don't mind
riding like the men but see m to prefer
that style.
The winter just passed old Califor-
mans say has been the hardest for
twenty years, snow fell nearly all
over the state. We got only about
one half inch which disappeared in
few hours. The first frost came Dec.
10. Tomatoes were green up to the
above date. In February we had two
weeks of frosty weather; pumps
froze up, ice formed, ground froze,
and one not accustomed to the coun-
try would think everything was
spoiled. But strange as it may seem
to eastern people nothing was injured
and flowers bloomed in the open air
all winter. Once the mercury ran
down to go above. Oranges retained
their leaves and fruit hung heavy on
the trees all winter and showed no
effects from the cold weather. This
kind of weather is something very
unusual for this place. Snow is very
uncommon although it is in plain sight
| the year round. Mt. Shasta, that
grand old sentinel towering over
IA 900 feet high is clothed in mantle
of snow the year round. This noun
tain is 147 miles north of Corning and
the air is so clear that it can be plainly
seen by moonlight. The mountain
scenery here is grand. The Sierras
on the east and coast range on the
! west make fine view. Mt. Lassen,
an ancient volcano, is in plain sight
of Corning. Biologists say that the
top of this mountain, weighing
thousands of tons, was blown across
the valley on to the coast range, a
distance of about eighty miles, in an
ancient volcanic eruption. There are
several boiling springs in the crater
and also several ice cold. There are
many wonderful sights in this state
that l have neither time nor space to
describe. Since my last letter have
taken trip south about five hundred
miles, into the gold mines of the
Sierras. took the trip in the inter-
ests of eastern mining men and had
good chance to see and learn many
things about mining. l also visited
several large cities and the San
Joaquin valley which in many respects
is somewhat similar to the Sacramento
only not nearly as large. The weather
here at this writing is delightful. The
fields are literally one mass of wild
flowers, the golden poppy easily tax
ing the lead. A field of these peoples
waving in the breeze looks like mass
of gold. Everything looks favorable
for good fruit crop this year. Or
chard work is we'll along, wild oats
are all headed and soon the click of
the mower will be heard all up and
down the valley.
II. H. TRACY.
Corning, Cal april 1908.
| LETTER To 7. 7 RlCKFORD