The Brookings register. [volume] (Brookings, Brookings County, S.D.) 1903-1971, 1908-12-31
l.. \. REEVES WRITES
OF CALIFORNIA
To the Brookings Register,
Bookings, S. d.

W loILu oOHic lued VI Jul uSW uouic.
If the Register can find space for this
it will answer in place of a personal
letter to our many friends to whom
it is impossible to find time to write
each individually. We would also like
to wish each of our many Dakota
friends the compliments of the season
and especially wish them a prosper
Gus new year.
We shall miss the many friends at
this particular season Of the year, but
not your weather, even if you think
it fine. While you will on Christmas
and New Years be skating. sleigh
riding or similar sports, here it will
be football, base ball, tennis, buggy
riding, etc. On Christmas. Walter and
the writer plan to play their first game
Of tennis. Have just made us a
tennis court.
The churches here all have Christ
mas exercises the same as you have.
This is the winter time here and we
speak of the weather being cold or
warm as the thermometer drops down
to 80 above or goes up to 60 above.
There are now six or eight Brook
ings county families in and near Santa
Ana. All seem contented. One family
came here from Brookings county five
ears ago with $4,000 in money. They
now have a good home in a small
town and ~ acres of land; all worth
about $4,000. 90. This shows what
hard work here will do. Some fail
and others succeed here, the same as
in Dakota. There are many here from
Dakota and Minnesota. All like the
climate, but some say that there is
more money made there than there is
here.
While two or three crops can be
raised here in one year it requires lots
of work.
The winter crop is barley, cabbage,
potatoes, ETC.: the spring crop pota.
toes and vegetables; the summer crop
corn, sweet potatoes, tomatoes, etc.
Alfalfa can be cut three to six times
a year.
Mr.. Palmer and the writer, about
three weeks ago, took a thirty mile
drive. This took us to Anahein, a
city of about 5000; then to Fullerton,
a town of about 5000. There are some
pretty towns in the fruit district. The
former is noted for its walnuts; the
latter a general variety of fruits and
nuts. East of Fullerton are some of
the finest orange groves in the county.
One man has 300 acres mostly set to
oranges. Many other groves of 5 to
40 acres. A good bearing orange or.
chard Of 5 acres will net the owner
81, 900. 90 to $4,000. 90 a year. Olive, the
next place, is a small village at the
foothills. A Touring mill at this place
is run by water power. Water is used
for irrigation purposes in the valley be-
low. At this point we turned towards
home. We drove through the fruit
district and quite near to Orange.
Orange is about the size of Brookings.
1t Is a pretty town, surrounded by
orange and lemon groves principally.
Santa Ana is the county seat and the
largest town in the county, it is located
in about the center of the county.
The drive took us to the northwest,
then east and then back in a south
western direction. 1t is a far more
interesting trip than a be described
in a letter. The land is generally set
to fruit or nut trees. There is still
some vacant land and alfalfa. We
saw men digging potatoes, planting
potatoes, sowing barley, setting out
cabbage, picking green peas. We saw
several crews picking oranges for the
Christmas market. We saw boys bare
footed playing marbles. To the north
seventy or eighty miles could be seen
Old Badly and Greyback, with snow
OH their SUBMITS. We both thought
the snow near enough.
We have had eight or ten mornings
that there vas a white frost, killing
tomatoes and tender vines. No in
jury to geraniums and Gala lilies,
fruits, etc.
Should one go to- the southeast or
southwest or west of Santa Ana, the
country would be more open. Thirty
miles to the southwest and back from
the west would take one by the beet
sugar factory. A large farm of 100, 600
acres, one of 1000 acres and many
smaller farms. This would take one
to Newport beach, the nearest point
to the ocean; also through a part of
the celery lands, beet sugar and dairy
district. Few trees would be seen
except around each home. The land
is lower and not as dry. West of town
are many five to twenty acre farms.
No county in California raises the
variety that Orange county does. Few
tourists come here during the winter
except to visit friends. The principal
products of Orange county are in order
of their value: Oranges, crude Oil,
poultry and eggs, cattle and dairy
products, potatoes, walnuts, celery,
sugar beets, beans, hay, barley, a
ned goods, horses and about fifty other
articles. Value from $500 for figs to-
81 1913, 2S0. 90 for oranges.
The weather has been fine, but few
windy days, four or five rainy days,
few very warm days, no very cold
days.
Practically all the crops are gathered
except lemons and oranges. The writ
er has 1875 orange trees, about IL
an nrac Thnro orn okD,,t 1En hAuao