Esoteric V10: July 1896 - Iapsop.com

1897.] CALIFORNIA AS WE SEE IT. 461
rainfall,-probably, in the average season, not more than an
inch.
Up to this period the total rainfall does not average more than
two and a half inches ; and from February until the rains are
O\'er-usually in April, •·unning into May-the remainder of
that great amount of water falls. During that period,- 44 the
latter rain,"-it is the wettest country that one could imagine.
We have known it to rain for six weeks in almost one continuous
shower; that is to say, with little intermission. During
this rain vegetation seems to open until it swells up with the
water. ,Just a few days since we were listening to the pine
trt"ell, and particularly noticed one, whose bark was making a
continuous crackling noise. Thinking that some animal or bird
wa.q producing the sound. we made a careful examination and
1li!!eovere1l that the noi11e was nccasioned by the rapid expansion
of the t•·ee, because of hl\ving drawn into itself a great
quantity of water, jn!lt after a soaking rain. 'Ve sometimes
hear the corn grow in the eastern states, but, until we came
here, we never heard the trees grow. During the rainy season
an