Willmar tribune. [volume] (Willmar, Minn.) 1895-1931, 1910-03-02

Pasadena. Calf. Feb. 10Th, 1910.
Old Friends and Tribune Readers:
I have long thought of writing a
letter to the Tribune and telling
something of my impressions of
this part of Uncle Sans domain
and of conditions here, but the
matter has been continually de-
ferred. Having lately received
some inquiries from friends back
home as to things out here, l will
now finally sit down and try to
scribble you a letter. "
We have now lived in California
over a year and during that time
have lived in Los Angeles one
month and in Pasadena the rest of
the time.
Southern California is, in its eli
matte conditions and in some other
respects, section radically differ
ent from any other part of the
United States. 1t is really coun-
try by itself. AS you all know,
during the summer months there is
no rainfall, and everything dries up
and the valleys become desert.
During the winter, an abundance
of rain falls and Mother Earth's
mantle turns gradually from the
yellow-browh to the green's. The
rainy season here differs from that
of Washington and the rest Of the
Pacific coast in that there is not so
much continual fog or sizzling rain.
When it rains here it generally
rains quite hard. The rain will
last a day, two days, or three days
or probably a week. and then the
sun will come out warm and we
will have the blue sky for a couple
of weeks or so. At this writing
we have not had any rain since the
first part of January. The weather
bureau l understand gives Los An
geles an average of AZ cloudy days
in the year. l think that there
were more than that last year.
have experienced nothing quite as
beautiful and lovely as are these
balmy winter (?) days in Southern
California.
One of the peculiarities of the
climate here is the cold night air.
Blankets are used quite generally
the year around. Californians who
Ego back" east during the sum
mer complain that they cannot sleep
on account of the sultry nights.
There are none such here. Some
seasons of the year when it is too
hot in the sun for comfort it may
at the same time be too cool in the
deep shade for comfort. Get into
the shade of a telephone pole or a
chicken fence and its just about
right. Though the thermometer
during summer often runs up above
a hundred and even up to ITO, such
a thing as sunstroke is quite un.
known. This is due to the dry
condition of the atmosphere. I am
told. / have seen bald-headed men
work all day in the hot sun with
out hat on. Why they don't wear
their hats l don't know. l seems
that it is not really needed.
The women of Southern California
live out of doors about as much as
they do in. Nearly every house is
fitted up with a screened back porch
for kitchen, for use in the warmer
season. Every up-to-date house
now is equipped with an open-air
sleeping apartment. Many people
sleep on their front porches at
night. especially during the drier
part of the year. One young gent
US about a block from where we
live, built platform in big tree,
where he placed-a cot and slept all
last summer, lulled by the whisper
ing pine boughs 1t is very COM
mon right now in the winter to see
the women sitting on their front
porches sewing, reading or gossip
ping. In fact it is warmer out on
the porch than it is in the house if
they have no fires going.
Cyclones are unknown here.
There rarely are any thunderstorms.
We have heard the rumble Of thun-
der only once since we came.
Earthquakes. ynu say? Well yes,
it is said that slight tremors have
been felt on several occasions in the
past, tho none since we came. In
some localities they suffer some
times from the disagreeable sand
storms, but there are none such in
Pasadena, as it is sheltered by the
mountains in the directions from
which those winds generally come.
Fruit of all kinds is the main
crop Of southern lifornia, though
vegetables, grain and alfalfa are
very important. There is a good
deal of oil found in this section and
there is some mining and also man.
ufacturing.
The water from the rain and snow
fall in the mountains is saved up in
large reservoirs, or are the noun
! L. = n