244 STATE HORTICULTURAL SOCIETY. 



can be rented for $10 per month. Large tracts are rented to Chinameii 

 at $20 and upward per acre a year. Land is divided into 10, 20, and 

 40-acre tracts — only those who settled here in early years owning any 

 large amount. Land not level enough to be irrigated is practically 

 useless, excepting to grow some crops which will make most of its 

 growth during the rainy season. Grapes, they say, will grow on the 

 high grounds, but two or three years since a disease swept most of 

 the vineyards out of existence, and they seem a little backward about 

 replanting. Fruit is cheaper than with us ; pears and apples can be 

 bought at about 50 cents per bushel ; grapes were retailing yesterday 

 in some places at 2} cents per pound. 



Taxes here are high — county tax, they tell me, being over a dollar 

 a hundred ; in the dty, a dollar and eighty cents. 



Los Angeles is a fine-looking city of beautiful homes, and, seen 

 from some directions, where a good view of the heights can be had^ 

 with the mountains towering above them, is very impressive. The 

 public buildings are all odd and picturesque. The residences are nearly 

 all built on one plan, with variations — a sort of cross between Gothic 

 and Queen Anne, with a great deal of cheap and showy ornamentation, 

 or what used to be called "ginger-bread." It might be well called a 

 city of bay windows, from the great favor in which they stand. Few 

 houses are without at least two, some six or eight. Few of the streets 

 are closely built up. There are very many vacant lots, and these are 

 invariably " for sale," as are also, in some streets, about half the houses. 

 From the frequency of that sign, both in town and country, strangers 

 would infer that times were dull, and that a good many besides West- 

 ern Kansans wanted to go " back to their mother-in-law." 



Very little building is going on. In one place the foundation of 

 an immense hotel has been standing untiuished for several years. 



We have heard of the beautiful flowers; they are chiefly tea roses 

 and geraniums, sometimes a pink oleander or crape myrtle. One 

 flower garden is very much the same as 50 others. There are so many 

 plants that would do well here that one wonders at there being so few 

 varieties grown. Smilax grows luxuriantly, as does what jasmine I 

 have seen, only two plants ; two good fuchsias have come under my 

 notice, and a few hibiscus which grow into large shrubs. Bulbs of all 

 kinds remain in the ground. Grass sod seems to be quite an acquisi- 

 tion, and is kept carefully watered, even if the flowers are neglected, 

 but little of it is to be seen. The fan-palm is the favorite decorative 

 plant ; every yard boasts at least one, and frequently are set on the 

 edges of the pavements and roadsides. 



