No. 4.] GOING WEST. 417 



In southern California oranges, grapes, apricots, English 

 walnuts and olives are chiefly grown. Bananas are grown 

 only in sheltered places, and even there must be covered at 

 night to protect them i'rom frost. The navel oranges are 

 the most attractive, and much larger than our largest apples. 

 Grapes for raisins and for other i)urposes are the main crop 

 in some sections, though many vineyards have been de- 

 stroyed by some unknown disease. The vineyards of Cali- 

 fornia are very large, often containing a hundred acres. 

 The vines are staked up for five or six years and trinmied 

 to a stump, which by that time becomes strong enough to 

 support the vine. They are trimmed back to the bare 

 stump each year, the new canes making a large bush, 

 bearing sometimes two bushels of grapes. 



Much money has been lost in the purchase of land in 

 southern California. A few years ago there was a great 

 boom in the region of Los Angeles, and prices ran as high 

 as three hundred dollars per acre. People arriving in the 

 evening sometimes viewed the lots and made purchases by 

 the licjht of lanterns. Banks and hotels were erected in 

 many cases to help sell the land, but were never occupied. 

 Now the boom has burst, prices are once more at the normal 

 level, and it is diflicult to sell. The boom was more par- 

 ticularly confined to the southern portion of California, but 

 has injured the sale of land all through the State. 



The Puel)lo Indians, residing in the northern portion of 

 New Mexico, })ractise agriculture and horticulture, and are 

 somewhat civilized. Their houses are large and sul)stantial, 

 and have been in existence for three hundred years. They 

 are grouped closely together around a large Jesuit church. 

 The Indians are neatly and rather attractively dressed in 

 the Indian attire. The population neither increases nor 

 decreases, but remains stationary. They are thrifty and 

 o-ood farmers, and their gardens are Avell irrinated. 



The greater portion of Arizona and New Mexico is a 

 vast sand plain, which is entirely unproductive. Possibly 

 this country can be made productive by irrigation, if the 

 water can be o])tained by boring artesian wells. At present 

 mining is the principal industry, especially in Arizona. 

 There are many cattle grazing in these territories, but the 



