Willmar tribune. [volume] (Willmar, Minn.) 1895-1931, 1910-03-02
LETTER FROM CALIFORNIA

grassy sward or verdant orchard
and with the other one on the burn
ing sand of the desert. Vacant |
lots, dry and brown, alongside Of |
the sprinkled lawns, green and
fresh, makes the city look like a |
checkerboard to the man in bal
loon. Sheltered by the mountains
the valley does not suffer much
from frost and in some favored pla-
ces frost is quite unknown. Some
times they raise three or four crops
of tomatoes on the same stock from
year to year. Strawberries can be
made to yield fruit the year around,
though the real season of course is
in the summer. I have seen gera-
mum vines 20 feet high and climb
ing roses, for instance, growing up
a cypress tree to height of 80 to
IS feet. l had occasion not long
ago to clear out some morning
glory vines along a fence and found
vines as big around as a mans
wrist. We chopped them up for
wood. Houses and old barns COW
cred with rose vines are, during
blooming time. transformed into
things of matchless beauty. OIL
course we have roses here the year
around. but April, May and June
is the time when roses are at their
best. At that time l doubt that
Pasadena has it's equal in the world
for beauty. The Gala lily. that
our women folks used to be so elat-
ed over when they succeeded to get
them to bloom in the homes back
east. here bloom in nearly every
yard at this time Of the year.
What would you think of crysan--
themum as big as a candy pail l
have seen-hold on, here! Don't
thumbs up! Minnesota has Cali
fornia beat on lilacs. The lilacs
here are small and puny. And /
guess Minnesota has Southern Cali
fornia beat on lot Of things beau
tiful with her "Limpid lakes and
rivers flowing to the sea-
No, No! l am not belittling Min
nesota. She beats them all in
many ways and needs no apologies.
But am talking about southern
California now, or as much of it as
l have seen, and l must tell the
tr 18th. l am not provoked that you
interrupted me, but l must get back
to my subject.
was speaking of the crops of
Southern California, but 1 forgot
to mention the most important one
of all-the tourist crop. Yes, the
biggest asset Of Southern California
is its climate. The climate brings
the tourist, and the tourists bring
the money-eastern money. South
ern California has been called the
playground of the United States.
People from all parts of the coun-
try come here by the thousands
every year to escape the cold win
tiers of the east. A large part Of
the residents in tourist towns like
Pasadena make their living, or at
least part of it, by renting rooms
to tourists. In Pasadena alone
there are several immense hotels,
where the silkstocking gentry from
the east spend the winters. The
lovely climate has of course at
tracted the wealthy from . the east
and many millionaires have their
palatial residences here. Then
there are any amount of retired
farmers, merchants, soldiers,
preachers, etc., from the east and
middle west. It seems to me that
it is mostly eastern money that is
developing the country. Hundreds
of people come here every year, get
infatuated with the climate and in
vest in a home or for speculation.
This makes the real estate agent
the big thing in this country, and
there are more of them than you
can shake a stick at. Some of
them need watching too. Many an
unsuspecting tenderfoot has had it
rubbed" into him by the heart
less sharks. Some land here is
worth as much as a thousand dol
lars an acre. Much of it. is not
worth SIS an acre, so you see you
must know what you are doing in
buying ranch" here.
Cost of living out here is some
higher than back east, l think.
Dairy and poultry products are
higher, -four is higher. vegetables
about the same, while fruit is much
cheaper. Fuel is very high. but
you don't need so much of it as you
do back east. Just a little blaze in
the fireplace or stove will drive the
chill out of room. Some people
live without heating stoves the year
around, but there certainly is no
comfort in that. Other people say
they freeze as much here as they
did back east, but that seems hard
to believe. 1t is different, how
ever with people, depending large
ly on the condition of their blood,
perhaps.
The financial panic of two years
ago knocked things pretty badly