The Wisconsin tobacco reporter. (Edgerton, Wis.) 1877-1950, 1920-05-07

Callpatr1a, CAL,
April Is, 1920.
My dear Alice,
. | write to you as Sec
rotary of the Bluebirds, hoping that
this may serve for you all. 1t was no
easy thing to leave Edgerton last
week, everything seemed to call to
me to stay on, except as it seemed
that the voice of Duty was out here
in the desert. l may have been mis-
taken and heard something else,
time will tell that.
You remember how cold it was
that morning? Well, Chicago was
knee deep in slush and all day Tues
day we ran through fields of snow,
then Wednesday it warmed up and
Thursday it was over 80 degrees in
the observation car. Here in Calipat-
ria I have already shed my vest, and
probably the coat will follow very
shortly.
We are one hundred and eighty
feet below sea level and if the Gulf
of California ever took notion to
come back here, this town would be
at the bottom of the sea, thirty faith
oms deep. It is just desert until
irrigation gets it, then anything in
the world will grow, except Artic
moss. / saw farm yesterday where
a man had planted willow fence posts
around his chicken yard five years
ago, and they grew and now he has
willow grove fifty feet high. Then
there was a four year old grapefruit
tree with cluster of thirty seven
grape fruit touching one another.
| You know that grape fruit grow in
punches like grapes. There was a
field of alfalfa that was cut seven
times in the first year. It was a
month ago today when it was cut
and when I saw it yesterday there
was two tons to the acre. The owner
of the farm said his theory was that
things grew so fast because they
were trying to get up to sea level.
Sunday afternoon we took a trip
out to Salton Sea. That is a lake
forty miles long and twelve to twenty
miles wide and is two hundred and
forty feet below sea level. 1t is
saltier than the ocean, but has fish
in it. Where we went there were
mud ygeysers, splashing and bubbling
and building up cones for themselves.
Then there were other geysers that
deposited pure ochre instead of ord
mary mud. Ochre, you know is paint
These geysers looked like monster
paint pots all boiling away madly,
some bright yellow, some orange,
some brown, some red ,some green.
It was strange sight, to see the
water boiling and steaming all the
way around while we walked on mar
row paths built up through it. One
man "a minister, not me) said that
if he doubted about Hades before,
here was proof and the crust wasn't
more than a foot or two thick.
Then three were salt beds, from
which the water had just evaporated
and leaves pure salt. I have a crys-
tai in my pocket which I may send
you if you like, also a piece of
obsidian. (Look that up in the die
tionary' Where I went to S. S. last
Sunday the teacher of a class of
girls, about like Miss Conn's said,
''These girls have been waiting
long time for you, and now they are
ready to stand behind you and do
whatever you want" I thought of
the Bluebirds at once, and said to
myself, eff these girls do one half as
we'll as the Bluebirds, I shall feel
very very happy"
want to tell you all now how
much l appreciate your spread and
the fine gift of the pencil that Fri
day afternoon. You took me so by
surprise that day, that I was speech
less, and that is a very unusual
| thing for me. But I want you to
know that | felt it, way down deep
in my heart. Every time I use that
pencil something seems to sing like
a bluebird, and hers is always a
happy, happy song. I do hope that
you girls will be true to me, by
giving your loyal assistance to the
man who takes my place. You wont
let this dozen California girls beat