• * 
VOL. HI. 
LOS ANGELES, CAL., MAY, 1880. 
X« 
3. 
BRIGHT PROSPECTS. 
Messrs. Carter A Rice: The sunt hern 
part of Los Angeles county has no just 
muse of complaint against the clerk of the 
weather this year, for although tliu past 
winter has been unusually cold, and vege¬ 
tation is more backward than usual, no 
harm Las been done by frost in Anafiritn, 
< 'niirnli'i , Gnrtlm Urn i ., Orattga and Sautn 
Ana. Citrus fruit trees are entirely un¬ 
touched by frost, except in tins ensp of a 
few lime trees, of which only a few tender 
twigs were nipped. As tins winters of 
1H7H and IN7D and 1879 and 1880 are the* 
coldest that have been experienced here 
for a number of years, our exemption 
must lm owing to permanently acting 
causes, and can lm t-ftltmlntcil upon in the 
future. Although during the storms this 
winter snow fell all over the Stale, north 
anil south, "warm Mt*" and everywhere, 
none fell in the valley of the Santa Anu 
river, which includes the uliuvc-munod 
places, and if we mny trust the memory of 
the oldest inhabitants none lias fallen hern 
for twenty years. Persons about to plant 
vines mid fruit trees should take note of 
these facts, and soled, then lands whero 
the risks from frost urn i educed to n mini¬ 
mum. 
Our other fruits promivu’ large nhii us, 
the cold weather having kept them from 
blooming later than usual, so that the 
danger of damage frciin frost is now prob¬ 
ably past. Our vinoynid men some time 
since had made extum-irci preparation* to 
smoke t heir plantations in ease Jack Frost 
should make an a-omlt upon Iheiu. hut it 
is ptobubh that, now tils danger |s orr-t, 
and (lieu supplies of coal tar ami imphftl- 
lum will be kept, fui imotlni kiiinijii. A** 
grapes will probably mil for ft'io to $90 pe, 
ton this year, vineyard* linvi bi-colin valu¬ 
able property, and tin re ia, in my npitimn, 
no enti riuise mom certain to pay in the 
future Ilian the planting of vineyards, 
Wine and brandy an* the only products of 
agriculture that niiTHUtu' hi cahit by h < p- 
111;/; nil tho iiihn'x ili i i-' tiri ' mul in linn h< 
vo/ttt' UwniJnu. 
Our Amilieini OdcHim wheat in growing 
splendidly; in most of the fields it lias 
I hj trend out and fully covered the ground, 
and is now beginning to look upward* for ; 
a chance to extend itself. No matter what 
other wheat will do in the county this 
year, this wheat is eorfain to yield very 
largely. Its good qualities will he thur-' 
ougldy tested and its reputation (irmly es- 
; tablished. If parties in aeurtih of wheal 
lands will visit thin section in the mouth 
of May, i think we will be a bio to satisfy 
t hem ns to I lie wheat-grow ing capacity of 
’ the Santa Ana valley. The only danger is 
that the growth will lie too great; but if it 
don 't lodge, and it lias the reputation of 
being a strong straw and wbimt, f think 
some fields will yield 10 centals nor m re; 
it yielded as much as 90 centals last year 
with inches o( rain, and it is not un- 
iciisnnttblo to expect, a 25 per cent, better 
return with over 1'2 ini bus of rain, when 
it has been sown on tin* very lust lands of 
the valley, which have yielded 10 centals 
of barley to Hie nitre. 
Bariev and no both promise a huge 
yield. The early barley is large, has 
banded out, and, notwithstanding tin- 
heavy rain, lifts fallnn very little. The 
late barley is cerium to do wall. 
Corn planting hna commenced, and as 
the ground lias had a llniroiigh wetting a 
large crop may be anticipated on land not: 
iirigftted. When* irrigation i* prni-tu’id 
they always mum crops, nub** they use 
too much Waist. which is iiufortunalely 
too often the ease \\Y haxr a large lillln 
bur of farmers (an calls*I) in this county 
who devoti tin ii hvt to the study "f how 
In live without work, and they flood their 
lands with wnloi until tin v diown tin- life 
OUl iif it, mid raise any alkali thul may be 
ill ll to the sui tui e and destroy its pjo- 
dIll'llVchess. I know of vullliitill II I! Is id 
land I lint when Dial eult ivalnil produced 
tlltl or in ore bush* Is "I '"ill pci ucie, that 
from cxii Hivo watering now will not pro 
diien any crop, and can only be ri -toicil 
to their form* i piodiu-tivcinv-, by thorough 
draiuugo. Hut diaituiig land i»/*>* mm 
I fit •-i"<(< for these liunl destroyer- Dig- 
gong ditches is work, and that these ft-1 
flows and tbc list of tin Ixearnev party 
'won't do if tlu-y can avoid it Our only 
^hop*? is to bitvo their pbu-i * -applied by 
another class of men, who will improve 
their land by good farming and sensible 
management, and will iie-mm- instead of 
f/*w trinfiny ita productivem **. No part of 
Ibis State offers such inducements to tins 
latter class as the moi-t lands of the Santa 
Ana ami Han (labricl valleys, and tlie 
sooner the former da** emigrate to -, 
Arizona or Texas, the l*ettf r it will 1** f.,r 
Los Angeles county. The do <• vfim w will 
make room for tin* do wmithniy*. 
Our grass crop will b- tn-.nuou* tin* 
year. It already stands from 1 t>* 3 fe.t 
high, ami ii» still ginwing Our stock 
Itlivtt had ubntidunt fee*l all winter, al¬ 
though tin* cold weather kept the gre-» 
buck Still then* was plenty of it to bare 
fed tlm thuUMUnlfl of eattl*- and stn * p th *t 
starved lu the north. Tb •J fIH * >*, Alu) 
there i* no controverting it. th.* is tb. 
last fmit country, tin- last Imunn^ *-»oin- 
try, and the best .stock eouotrv in the 
United States of America, and add l" that 
the lust and healthiest iInnate iu the 
world, and, to crown all, w«> have ample 
room for thou sail da of gu*»l people to 
conic a ml enjoy Uioeo many advantage*. 
W*. U. Ouuor. 
Auitnii, Cal., April '.ti. I8**it. 
> al-ral to 
should, in 
I frmi 
1 —... - 
Tor Yixn rut iui Cowan* 
be appointed by the Cloven 
mu opinion, 1»»* largely i»'p 
Southern California, the prx 
blond vineyard* enter lung* ly into the 
the com me i d* of the State, «ii*l eoutril*- 
ut»-n no email pit tamo to the tr. vury of 
tln< (irio'ial llnverum* lit \ n.i although 
the Legislature practically igirotr* this 
Hiation in it* imlut. deld*'ration*, we trust 
that Iluvi rimr l*erkiu« will * c t,- it that 
iv ato fairly ivpn-* nt.d South 'mi Cal¬ 
ifornia should have at b «*t two rvpri -vent- 
ulni'i Mi) Mum ( ititiI Mich unLit* 
M J 
D* Ihvrtb Sbuil) 
general •aiiafael 
and L 
l,OB ll 
.4. 11..-* would 
IftUl^litDil tilt* 
|m\Vt 
'I 1 couutrv. -u 1**1 
ih are 
fr* j lit >i 1.1 V Ct 
Villi' 
null and have 0 
ics-itiu*i * of this 
j , V 1 . ll 
pifV* to •J»''t l l**J» 
V 1 1 I * 
the 
end o 
>f lit* MUM* in 
tin* 
io.vnuf.-vi tins: of 
, lap. 
jw.hIucI* Hum 
'll IV' 
other. 
\\ 
u v * a 1 .M r 11 
paid 
out oi»r fcJM,- 
U00, I Awl foT 
