| OCR Text |
Show FEUITS OF LOS ANGELES. 245 aginary proceeds of his winnings-when in the twinkle of an eye, a gentle sweep from the smiling syren, dissipates his dreams of fortune, and he retires from the hell penniless in reality. Hundreds of men who have acquired by hard work and industry, a little fortune at the mines, and come to town to purchase a bill of exchange to send to their families, are induced to visit one of these places, and in an^hour he has lost the labor of months, leaving his family anxiously awaiting remittances which they are doomed never to receive. These native Californians have been known to borrow money at the enormous rate of six per cent, a month, compound interest, and give their ranchos as collaterals, on purpose to gamble with; many who once were rich, are now reduced to beggary from this cause; the compound interest accumulating so fast, that unable to meet it, the mortgage is foreclosed, and a valuable property sacrificed to the usurious practices of those who call themselves men, for one twentieth part of its real value. The climate is delightful. The pine-apple, grapes, figs and oranges of the tropics, grow alongside of the pears, peaches and apples, of the temperate regions. The most delicious grapes I ever tasted, are cultivated in large quantities in Los Angeles. Hundreds of tons are annually shipped to San Francisco; peaches, delicious pears, etc., and, in fact, the fruit is cultivated purposely to ship. It yields a good profit and a large income. The vineyards are set out in drills six feet apart, each vine is trained to an upright position supported by rods, until they acquire age. The usual price for grapes was three dollars a hundred pounds as they are on the vines, to be plucked and boxed at the expense of the purchaser, |
