The Newtown bee., 1908-02-14
The Newtown Bee.
THE HOME CIRCLE. cH ARMS OF SOUTHERN CALI.
 f0RNlA.
 BY MRS s. A. NOE.
NeWloFR, Friday, February li, leOs,
BY MRS s. A. NOE.
Long Beach, California.

aSaiHs navy JsHN tNssaHsa aioih q
 visit of nearly three weeks with my
 friends. Mir and Mrs J. W. Merritt oi
 Los Angeles and was greeted with
 three copies of The Bee from August
 9 to g. l frankly confess it seemed
 good to meet it once more and l really
 enjoyed looking it through; it seemed
 almost like meeting some of my owr
 family after a few months absence.
 Long Beach is P miles from Los An.
 geles and what was once few large
 farms or ranches as they are called
 here, are now covered with buildings
 and a population of more than 20,0Ot
 and all the growth of few years. Il
 spreads from east to west along the
 waters of the blue Pacific for the dis.
 tance of eight or ten miles. with a most
 beautiful smooth and sandy beach. The
 city is nicely laid out in fine broad av-
 enues and streets. American avenue is l20 feet wide. This is double tracked. Streets average in width from 50 to 80 feet, are very straight so one may
 stand and look either direction for a
 long distance. Great care is taken in
 setting out trees for shade and beau-
 tifying the streets; those which have
 become most familiar with are the palms, accassia, peppertree and eu-
 calyptus. The latter is valued for it's oil, as we'll as for fuel. The pepper tree much resembles our weeping will
 low, which have become so nearly extinct in the east. When on our way to California at this side of Salt Lake we saw a great many of the pepper trees and supposed them to be the weeping willow seeing them from the cars. The English walnut is also grown here in large numbers, but not so much for shade as for the nut they bear. 'Tis most surprising to me to see how rapidly trees grow in this wonderful climate; in fact everything seems to spring. so to speak, sponta- neously. It is indeed a land of sun shine, fruits and flowers and of the most beautiful tints and colorings imagina- ble and such immense proportions, even those which look so beautiful in our hot houses in the east to us, are mostly dwarfs compared with what we see all along the streets here whichever way we may go. Calla lilies as com mon here as weeds in our gardens at home and so out of proportion to. any l ever saw before. Hedges of them stand four feet high and such immense blooms. l have seen many of the house hydrangeas standing seven feet above ground loaded with blooms which would just about slip easily into com mon water pail. The fruits and garden vegetables are fine. Water melons and muskmelons are abundant, you can buy four eight-pound watermelons, for everything except eggs goes by the pound here, for 15c, and muskmelons goes by the pound here. Grapes are now coming in great abundance and they remind one of the pictures of the. grapes which were brought in by the spies. They not only look, but are delicious, in fact the fruits can't be described by me and how often think, Oh, how wish I could send some of these good things to the loved ones at home; it is no wonder to me that so many flock to California. My relatives here think they can live quite as cheap ly here as in the east. Butter is from BOG to 4Oc, eggs are 32c and 35c. Straw berries have been all summer sold for 5c basket, not quite as large as our baskets at home, but nice berries. Dur ing the past week, the price has been two baskets for 15c as they are not quite as plenty as they were. l find very many who live little out from the thickly settled portion of the city keep one COW, nearly all Jerseys. They are tethered out wherever there is an open field and for the past three months or more have been fed as we do during the winter ip the east. Much alfalfa is raised here for stock and as fast as it is cut another crop comes right along.
 They tell me about November. When it begins to rain the fields which now are dry and scared will begin to look green and COWS will be turned out to graze; quite reverse of things in the east. 0at hay is raised here in great quantities, no grass seen around here as at home. I must change my sub Ject little and must not forget to say that Long Beach is city destitute of saloons. The city authorities seem determined to have this enforced, no saloons. Occasionally there is what they call blind pig, brought in, but it doesn't take long to develop itself and the mayor or his officials soon make A raid and results in loss to thoea