82 THE WEST AMERICAN SCIENTIST. 



one of a military encampment. While there I had the pleasure of hearing an inter- 

 esting lecture pn the scenery in the British Isles, delivered before the Chautauqua 

 literary and scientific circle, by Dr. Wythe, of Oakland. 



Pasadena is one of : he beautiful places of South California. Every place is a 

 fruit and flower gardea, while the surrounding mountains add beauty to the scene. 

 I was hospitably entertained by Mr. H. N. Rust, owner of an extensive nursery in 

 South Pasadena, and well known as the manager of the California citrus fair, lately 

 held in Chicago. He has a fine collection of minerals and Indian relics of pre-his- 

 toric times, well worth going some ways to see. Pasadena and Alhambra are tem- 

 perance towns. This speaks well for their future prosperity. At Alhambra they 

 are building a new school house costing $8,000, which will add much beauty to the 

 place. Colton is a railroad center, and though very new is fast growing in impor- 

 tance. 



San Bernardino is an old town for South California. The town was first set- 

 tled by Mormons from Utah, and there are many of the old settlers who still adhere 

 to that religion. The 'Index' will show that the 'Morning Hour' is x^leasant andr 

 'Times' good in this place. San Bernardino is a lively business place and contains 

 about seven thousand inhabitants. 



Riverside is the banner town for orange culture. The houses are half concealed 

 among flowers and shrubbery, and there are evidences of wealth and refinement on 

 every side. A few years ago this place was a sheep ranch. Now there are to be 

 found the finest orange trees in the state, many of them yielding their owners from 

 six to ten dollars each annually. This must be an enterprising town, for in passing 

 down one of the main streets I saw a banner over my head bearing the motto 'The 

 Daily Enterprise'. They have a 'Horticultural Press' and 'Valley Echo' here also. 

 There are no saloons, which shows that it is a temperance community. 



Having lately come to California I see much to attract the eye in this semi- 

 tropical country. Yet it has its disadvantages. One must mike allowances, for 

 there are many obstacles to overcome, and much work to be done before the whole 

 of South California ^vill 'blossom like the rose,' or be 'a land flowing with milk and 

 hone.' A Traveller. 



SINGING SANDS. 



Everybody has heard of the singing beach at Manchester, Mass., the sands of 

 which for a distance of about a fifth of a mile, gives out a souud when walked upon, 

 or even when stirred by a stick; but it is not so generally known that in 1884 

 inquiry among the superintendents of the life-saving service showed that samples 

 of singing sand could be found in twenty -six different places on our coast. It is 

 said that later investigation has increased the number to seventy -four ia America 

 and thirteen abroad. At Manchester, an experiment showed that the sound evoked 

 by the sand by driving a stick into it, could be heard at a distance of 140 feet, 

 over the roar of the surf. Professor Botton, of Trinity college, an 1 Julien, of Col- 

 umbia, have been making a study of the subject, and their conclusions are here 



