Abilene weekly reflector. [volume] (Abilene, Kan.) 1888-1935, 1903-02-19

Mrs. A. W. Rice Writes Of CALIFORNIA;
mes.

Los ANoELEs, Feb. l0.--The year
in California seems divided into two
seasons. the rainy and the dry; but Il
Is summer all the time. could
write enough to gil the pages OF the
REFLRoToR and yet You would not
have q fair idea OF the beauty Of the
trees, shrubs aud flowers, Of the effect
Of the sunshine and the soft air which
is noticeable near large bodies Of
water. No matter In which direction
you 90 from the city the fragrance OF
the blossoms Of the lemon and orange
greet you, and one sees great hedges
OF flowers in luxuriant bloom. Flow
ers that at home with eoaxing will
only bloom once a year blossom on
the same great stalks the year around
here.
Mr.. Rice wishes me to tell you OF
our visit at Hollywood, delightful
residence place half an hours ride on
the electric car from the city. Nestled
10 a.valley at the foot Of the mother
mountain it lies fair to see. Here
dwell many people whose names are
as household words in other states.
Elk. Governor Beveridge Of Illinois has
q real estate office and lives in man
sion surrounded by an orange grove
He is good citizen. q worker in the
M. E. church. In Moorish palace
built Of cement and set In an acre Of
flowers where sweet scented posies
run riot, where the Cherokee rose
climbs and climbs and the Christmas
flower stands blazing against the
stone wall, where roses Of all shades
bloom, lives Paul De Longpre, the
great French flower painter. We saw
this gentleman in bic own garden
where shade is shade and sward is
sward. u
Whist interested Mr.. Rice most 10
Hollywood was solid hedge Of red
geraniums two hundred feet long
trimmed to three feet high and two
feet across with richest green leaves
and the reddest Of red blossoms. 1t
was picture he wished your readers
could see. Inside this hedge Is the
residence and grounds Of Mr.. J. II.
Whitley. The curb between this hedge
and the street was bordered with
pansies in royal purple and gold.
Retracing our steps and looking care
fully we saw for the first time in our
lives pineapples growing in the shal>
lows Of fine rose bushes Of some stan
dard sort entirely heretofore unknown
to us.
Looking on the other side Of this
great garden we saw the Guava bear
ing purple fruit and the Loquat in
bloom. We breathed the fragrance
Of the blossoms Of the soft shelled
almonds and at first mistook them for
new variety Of peach.
From Holly woods fine hotel the
view is superb. In the background
the mountains and far to the south
west the shining sea. Toward the
city, two miles east. we wandered
over @ tract called "Melrose". 1t has
| hill on the north crowned by the
health-giving Eucalyptus and the
dropping pepper tree with its fern
like foliage, and jewel red berries.
Among the white clover and fillaree
with its tiny pink blossoms (natural
forage for bees and cattle) we found
beautiful blue lupine blossoms also a
strange cactus. This tract is Of in
| terest to us and is for sale by an Abb
lene syndicate who will be glad to
hear that prices on real estate are
choking up"
We have taken side trips to Plays
Del Ray (the Kings .Beach) Ocean
Park and Santa Monica. At this
place we saw hedge Of one hundred
feet OF daisies, great round daisy
bushes softly lighted by their starry
flowers. Iplanted the slips across th'
lot digging . little trench with gar
den hoe--trampling the slips In there
they are beautiful to behold. growr
with no care a great hedge Of golden
hearted msrgueritesI Such troPica
looking plsce-dnts and fan palms
bananas. aloes and some Arizona
oaetuh ali grown in three years with