The Republican journal., 1910-04-14
Likes Los Angeles.

n rldlHe VAdIi, Lung q NSSssAeue VI 1'AsS'o-
chusetts, Enthusiastic Over the Charms
of the Pacific Coast.
SPOKANE, WASH, March 20, 1910. The
writer has now been in the West and on
the Pacific coast one year, has made
three trips through twelve of the most
western and coast States and short way
into Mexico, and the sights are most
wonderful, and the opportunities great.
Had our Pilgrim Fathers landed in Cal
ifornia when they landed in Massachu-
sets, Maine would be bowling wilder
ness now, for they never would have left
this part of the country for a poorer
place. People came here at first for gold
and soon discovered the other great op-
portunities. In my opinion the United
States would be one-third larger had the
start been made here; but perhaps it
was best as it is. The far East has been
developed, which might never have been.
and now the west is fast coming to the
front. As said before, if all the people
knew about this wonderful western coun-
try, large as it is, it would not hold half
of them. 1t is very fortunate that all
men do not think and see the same, for
they would all seek the same object and
cause row over it.
Nv route takes me over about one
third of the country and consequently
into variety of climate. When l
left Los Angeles on the oath of Janu-
airy peas We're in bloom, strawberries
We're ripe, the air was fragrant with
roses and other flowers. Oranges were
ripe and people were bathing at the
beaches. l hurried, for fear the summer
would be gone before could do my sum-
mer work. Imagine my surprise to find
in Portland, Oregon, on the 22nd of Feb
ruary regular dcwn-east snow blizzard,
and the two weeks was there it storm
ed every day. On leaving Oregon l WIS.,
tied Aberdeen, Washington, where it
was initiating Noah food. The country
was under water. The rainfall in Aber-
deem in 1909 was 83 inches, one inch less
than seven feet. LAUNDERING and fishing
is the business there. From Aberdeen
to Seattle was no great change, except
little less rain at Seattle. All through
Oregon and Washington the roofs of
houses not painted are covered with
moss, and the trees are laden with moss.
Salmon fishing up Puget Sound is a
wonderful industry. Twenty million
dollars worth of salmon were taken from
the water last year Lumber, fish and
grain are what is making that country.
They don't stop to think of climate; they
are too busy. Along the Great Northern
railroad, through Washington from the
Sound to Spokane, about $50 miles, you
know too well the great disasters from
snowslides The warm March winds
have taken most of the snow now, but
the sudden and great change in climate
between Southern California is wonder
full The interior of Washington along
the Columbia river in the Yakima valley
is the great apple country, where the
farmers are trying to beat out our New
England farmers, and do it in the care
of their orchards The New England
farmer does not prune his trees or Guilt
vate his orchard as they do here, and the
Washington farmer is going ahead fast
way beyond the New Englander-be-
cause of their better system and better
care of the orchard. They have not got
the favored apples here that are raised
in New England and York State but in
size and beauty they are way ahead. The
New England farmer must wake up and
take better care of his orchard. You
have the opportunity, and the apple eli
mate, if you will only take proper care,
which is very seldom done in New Eng
land York State farmers do a little
better.
have travelled over every State in
our Union, Canada East and West, and
old Mexico, and have decided that there
is but one place fit for the abode of man
and that is Southern California. There
is hardly flaw in the climate. People
come to Los Angeles from Mexico, Ari-
IONA. New Mexico and Nevada in the
summer to escape the great heat of l2O
in the shade, and from the north and
east to avoid the cold in winter; so there
is continual stream of humanity COM
ing all the time to sunny Southern Cali
fornia. The great asset of that country
is climate; the next, real estate, which is
being taken up SO fast that it is doubling
in value yearly. The next great asset is
oil. The earth is full of it. Then comes
agriculture. Continuous summer makes
continuous crops. Farmers plant and SOW
in November and December to gather in
the spring and continue to SOW and plant
until November comes again. Five and six
crops year are taken fro n the land with
very little fertilizer Water makes crops
grow there; and why will people live in
that frozen New England when the Gar
den of Eden is so near is wonder to me.
Yet it is easily explained. was born in
Maine emigrated to Massachusetts, at
sixteen years of age, and thought l was