The Leon reporter. (Leon, Iowa) 1887-1930, 1907-03-21
From California.


EDITOR REPORTER: Thinking that
perhaps many of your readers may have
become interested in this country
through the recent general discussion
concerning the trouble with the Colo
RADIO, | will try to give few of the
many points of superiority it possesses
of any other agricultural region in the
west.
| arrived in San Diego about the
middle of July last and being interested
in school work decided to qualify and
get me school. In California the GER
LITIGATION of teachers is controlled by a
County Board of Education. Certii-
Gates are of three grades, Primary,
Grammer school and High school. They
are issued for six years and are remark
able without denomination at the
pleasure of the board. If teacher
teaches five years in any six his certi-
ficate becomes permanent. The eXamin-
ton includes twenty subjects and re-
quires six days to complete. The test
is hard one as may be judged from the
fact that at the last one only nineteen
candidates out of fifty-three were sue
cessful.
The salaries paid country teachers
| range from $50 to S75 month. l sue
ceeded in getting school on the Colo
RADIO Desert, or as it is best known late
ly, the Imperial Valley.
San Diego county is about IT'S miles
long by 40 wide and runs east and west.
1t is divided in the middle by the San
Jacinto mountains and it is on the east
side of these that the Valley lies. The
two halves of the county are decidedly
different in climate, soil and rainfall.
The Valley was at one time part of
the Gulf of Lower California, but the
rising of the land gradually shut it away
from that body and when the water
evaporated it left a vast tract of eX-
tremely fertile land. The altitude Of
the southern end is about three or four
feet, thence the slope is gradually to-
ward the northwest until it reaches
Salton which is about 275 feet below
sea level.
The soil is all delta formation and is
from 400 to 800 feet deep. Some "hard
pan" is found, especially around Imperial,
and some alkali, but as far as soil goes
anything will grow here that will grow
at all anywhere. This is the greatest
melon country on earth; cane, sweet
potatoes, squashes, turnips, all garden
vegetables in fact grow too large to
tell about. Day before yesterday
helped man dig vans and we found
one which weighed % pounds. That is
only sample of the way everything
produces.
The climate is remarkable. In the
summer, although the thermometer il
the day time ranges from Ito to 133 IL
the shade, the nights are always coo
: and pleasant. The working season eX
. tends from October 1st to June LIST
:; During this time the weather cores
| ponds almost exactly to those swee
: balmy days back in Iowa when people
$ complain of ''spring fever The night!
> are cool, sometimes cold and light frost
y. are expected only a few times. This i
Il the rainy season on the coast but bacl
here the annual fall is only about tw
s inches.
. The Valley is clamoring for goo'
enterprising farmers. Chances are I'm
equaled anywhere. The dairy, stoc
melon businesses are making their hug
returns every year. i know if | wer
y to give the figures the hog raisers ar
: clearing every six months few woul
credit them.
Land is now held from at $50 to S15
h an acre and all believe that in twent
! years it will bring $500 to 5000. Ranc
q hands get $40 month and board.
r l should be glad to hear from anyor
" who intends to come west and | believ
that once they see what the Vale
g offers they will decide that this is tt
u country they were looking for.
4 Yours,
,e G. W. SHUMWAY.