The Hickman courier. [volume] (Hickman, Ky.) 1859-current, 1922-02-02
January in California.

In Southern California Dame Nature
has worked some of her greatest won.
ders I'm magic.
IL is less than an hours driyc from
the valley with its flower and blossom
10 the mountain heights with tlg.r
fields of ice and snow. We made this
trip last sunday. driving from River
side, via san Beruardiuo. to r. Cujou
Pass, near the summit of the san Ber
nardino range. one makes gradual
ascent of about 1000 feet ON the trip
At the top crowds of plcasurc-Seckcrs
were snowballing ana building snow
men; and from this wiutry region one
could see the orange groves. green ami
symmetrical, below. So. To say chat
one hoes the garden ana wadeS snow
on the same afternoon is entirely
proper
How cold does it get in Southern
Cs@ifOFnis, a. Tins l. ono OF tho eQres
tfons thar is usually answered ina con
fusing. garhled manner, being lost i'm
maze of general average" figures.
We will tell You that il gets cold all
over Southern California. Ice many
mornings ana frost most every morning
from Dee. 2O to Feb LIST. This month
the temperature has been as low as %
degrees. Orange growers "SmUdgcd'
manfully. but even then much of the
fruit has been frozen. The one redeem
ing feature iS that California winters
are much shorter than those back home
But. II you ever decide 10 come here
for the winter. bring your overcOat, win
ter underwear. etc. You will need
them. Fully half of the modern homes
here have furnaces-and use them.
To me the most singular thing is that
flowers continue To bloom. regardless
of Ice and frost. OF course. the mcr
curry ranges up to 70-odd during the
warm part Of the day, but the nights
are cold. Out-Of- doors flowerS-Such
as geraniums, roses. sweet peas, p1n-
sizes, orange blossoms, etc.-are plentiful
and the grass In the yards Is almost IS
green as last June. The natives tell
me that they have occasionally what is
known as BLACK frost" which willis
vegetation.
Many varieties of garden truck are
SucceS Sfully grown here during the win {
ter months-hut not everything shown /
iu the seed catalogue. Lettuce, radish- I
es. cabbage. rheubarb. lima beans. c0uli- /
flower. carrots. spinach. etc. are on the /
market all the while. but melons, toma |
toes, roasting ears and other items are
missing. However IL is now gardening /
time" i'm California. and folks are fuss |
ing with the home garden just as you
will be I'm May Spring is Said 20 begin |
here about the middle of February.
About the only crops that are NOV !
ing here now are olives and the citrus /
fruits-Oranges, grapefruit. lemons and |
tangerines This is what Is known as
the Naval orange harvest; the other |
variety Of oranges being Nalcncias and |
which ripen In June. The htter are
now loaded with green, half-grown |
fruit. Naval orange groves are hcauu- /
ful lust az this season. the trees being
green. of course. and filed with golden /
fruit Oranges offer the grower one |
particular advantage over most other /
crops. If the market is not satisfactory
they may De left on the trees without
danger OF loss-even though ripe-fOr
n whole year. But once pulled. they
must be placed in storage or placed on
the market
According TO the published figures. |
Riverside has had an average of less
than ten inches of rain per year for the
last thirty years. l don't know what
the next summary win show. bat | do
know that more than seven inches fell
here I'm ten days i'm January. This viii
probably be stretched out with the 81
wear avera ge--and not look so bad.
As n result Of rains the waste land,
which Is not irrigated. takes ON green
hue and breaks the brown, barren. mon
otonous look that it has in the summer
months, when no rain does fall.