Shepherdstown register. [volume] (Shepherdstown, Va. [W. Va.]) 1849-1955, 1921-06-09
LETTER FROM CALIFORNIA.

dena, California, from which we print
the following extracts:
Mr.. Snyder, think the real estate
men in Florida should pay ali youp
expenses while you were there for
boosting Florida the way you do. ]
know they would be glad to do il in
California, and | think you should
make a visit 10 the Golden State and
see if California is not ifle ahead of
Florida in many ways. You spoke as
if you would like to have some orange
and grape fruit trees in your back
yard at home. Well, have three
orange trees and one grape fruit in nv
yard. and | would gladly trade them
il could for one good old West Vir-
ginia apple tree. Oranges and beef
you get tired of. but apples and hog
meat you never get tired of.
At this writing we are having some
thing unusual for California-it is
raining and has been for two days.
This has not happened for twenty
years to rain this way in May. We had
cool winter the past winter and more
frosts than usual, but the frosts do not
hurt anything out here. The flowers
and young plants all freeze stiff when
we have one of our big frosts. and
when the sun comes no warm and
thaws them out it does not hurt them
at all. We have had so far about II
inches Of rain, about three inches
short from last year. But from now
on until about October we can 90 to the
mountain for trip, or out for picnic
somewhere, and never think of being
run in by a rain storm or A gust.
California is a great State in many
ways. believe Florida can beat us
on strawberries, and our old friend 7.
L. Hoffman has us bested on grapes,
but when it comes to vegetables, San
Louis Obispo county has them all
bested. Here is sworn statement:
One man raised 66.905 pounds Of
onions on one acre of ground, that is.
one crop, and the largest onion weigh
ed 5 pounds and ounces. The largest
onion ever grown in that county
weighed 6 pounds and Il ounces.
Seine onion! Another man raised
on seven acres over LOO bushels to
the acre and 100 of the largest onions
weighed 40S pounds. Now this coun-
ty is not only good for onions. but all
kinds CT vegetables. One acre of
each of the following grown without
fertilizer or irrigation has produced,
Beans 2R tens per acre. Or S. bushels:
potatoes, 20 tons or 700 bushels;
squash, 30 tons, beets. 7C ,ons; ca-.
rots, 100 tons; blackberries l,JOCI
quarts, strawberries 1.6OC quarts. lie
weights of single specimens are as fol-
lows: one fall pineapple "a ounces,
one onion 6 pounds IA ounces: or.e
potato ten pounds; one radisn 26'I
pounds; one 'acrot 10 pounds; ono
table beet so pounds; one sugar beet.
70 pounds; one manc'e beet d feet
long weighed lo7 pounds; one cab
bage head, D pounds; one squash, ZIP
pounds. Now that squash would make
Neal Fraley's pumpkin that he took
the prize with look like small gourd.
Neal you will have to do a little better
this fall. Now some people will saw.
that fellow is Just trying to see now
big yarn he can tell. but this is facts.
| heard one man say 1e saw field
OF carrots ami said il was harI TO find
one that was smaller than a nail kep
Now | did not see these things, ncith-
er did | see Neal Fralev's pumpkin,
but | believe al! is true. am a Cali
fornia booster and Mr.. Snyedr | would
ike Tor you 10 spend your next win
ter here and see if YOU would not say
California has got Flor!dr beat. TRY
It, | get to see our old friend Dan
Folk often. He still drives a blooded
horse-he can't get away from the
morse, some low or other. He is noa
hard man to find in Pasadena. vi
one was looking for him and did rot
know him, and he would see a fine
looking horse to a runabout and a man
with full crop Of whiskcrs, you could
mark 1t down that is the tree doctor,
Mr.. Folk. met him not long ago,
and | asked him when he was going
East and how things looked to him
when he was back there, and so on.
But he said this country was good
enough for him and did not care to go
back. Then asked him il he had
gotten the last Register, as did no.
get mine, and a sad, far-awav look
came to his ewes and he Began to pull
Registers out Of every pocket he had.