182 
NOTES ON AN AMERICAN TOUR. 
weighed, and tied. Such a process is, of course, only possible 
in a very dry country, where the grain is ready for threshing 
when cut. 
Los Angeles, near the Pacific coast, and within 800 feet 
of sea level, is in a real southern climate, with only about 
12° variation in average monthly temperature throughout the 
year, 55° average for January, and 67° average for July. It 
is the special orange country, and a charming drive to Sierra 
Madre, fifteen miles out, was mostly through orange orchards, 
with the trees loaded with fruit, lemon and lime orchards, 
and miles of grape vineyards (dwarf plants like the Pdiine 
vineyards). Oranges picked up off the ground like dropped 
apples, and orange orchards open to the road like apple 
orchards; and a beautiful display of wild flowers all the way, 
including many of our favourite Californian garden plants 
growing wild in abundance and in luxuriant bloom. 
There are a number of large private houses with beautiful 
gardens extending several miles round Los Angeles, which is 
a favourite place for residence ; and a great treat is the sight 
of the luxuriant semi-tropical plants and shrubs and rich 
masses of flowers, rich creepers over the houses covered with 
blossom, banana trees in fruit, and pomegranate and pepper 
trees grown as ornamental shrubs, the pomegranate covered 
with magnificent deep crimson flowers, and the pepper trees 
with elegant bunches of bright red berries, that turn black 
when the pepper is ripe. A great aloe was seen in fall bud, 
thirty feet high, with a flower panicle twelve feet long, and 
the bottom leaves six feet long and seven inches wide. 
A curious circumstance noticed from having travelled so 
far south was that instead of the days getting longer with 
the advance of summer they stood still or actually got 
shorter as the journey proceeded. The sun was set by 
seven o’clock at the end of May, and if we had gone as far 
as the Equator we should have seen him setting and rising at 
six o’clock, the same all the year round. The sun was so 
nearly vertical over head that the south could not be ascer¬ 
tained from his position, and the only way was to turn round 
until the shadow of your head when standing upright fell 
just between your toes, and then you knew that you were 
facing the north. 
(To be continued.) 
