Americus times-recorder. [volume] (Americus, Ga.) 1891-current, 1917-09-09
BY DIR. W. B. M'WHORTER.

Floyd county. This article was pub
lished in last Sundays Constitution.
DR.. McCord recently passed through
Sumter county, and we believe his arti-
Gle will be of interest 1t follows:
The writer has recently finished a
round trip yer the Dixie Highway
from Rome, Ga, to Tallahassee, Fla.
All along the way there is abundance
OF foodstuffs almost ready for harvest.
Old planters told me that 1917 will
witness the greatest crops ever known
IL the community This was the pre-,
vailing opinion over the 400 miles of
highway / travelled.
The roads themselves were in very
good condition. That part between
Macon and Atlanta is the worst.
Where it passes through Floyd, a por-
ton of Barlow, Cobb, Fulton, Bib,
Houston, Dougherty and Thomas coun-
ties, as well as that portion over the
Florida line is especially fine. The most
difficult roads were through Clayton
and portion of Sumter. The finest
corn fields we're in Floyd and Barlow,
the finest sugar cane, tobacco and pea
nuts in Thomas and Grady, the finest
finest pecan groves in Dougherty.
Velvet beans were everywhere in
abundance
IN some of the southwestern counties
the boil weeviI has played havoc with
the cotton planters. Neither of these
enemies of the cotton plant has yet
given trouble in the north Georgia
cotton fields.
1t is very evident as one travels this
way, that Georgia farmers are waking
u. to their possibilities, and that men
OF the towns and cities are learning
how to organize and carry on bigger
business. But in the matter of SANTA
ltion and other precautionary measures
against disease, there are few signs
of encouragement. Well informed
planters find encouragement only in
preventing boil weevil and black root,
and they will not think of making
much Roadway with the pests after the
fields of cotton have already been in
fected. But when it comes to matters
OF disease, the same people are slow to
iraugurate methods of prevention.
Many who are quite interested to
prevent boil weevil getting in the cot
ton fields, seem not at all interested
to prevent the disease germ correspond
ing to boil weevil getting into the home
and the human body. The physical
examinations of our young men who
would enter the new army are telling
on us. Out of 600 men examined in
one community, only 40 were found
physically fit. We have given our con-
sent to the expenditure of great sums
of money to improve roads, rivers and
harbors; to protect the forests, cattle
and cotton fields; but how little have
we given protect our homes and
communities against those diseases
that cost the state and nation far more
in human lives and efficiency than all
the diseases of plants and animals
combined Good roads contribute much
to the upbuilding of community, but
nothing contributes so much to the
wealth and happiness of community
as the growth of healthy, well-trained
men and women. There are men in
our state who are ready to spend thous-
ands to protect or promote any COM
mercial interest, who will throw up
their hands in horror at the spending
OF dollar to protect people from dis
eases that sap the vitality and make
life burden.
There are many peach trees on the
Dixie Highway, having their trunks
whitewashed from the ground up to the
first branches, this to protect the trees
and their fruit from disease. But it
seems the owners of these trees have
not gone nearly so far in protecting
their children from disease. In very
few of these counties is there any pro-
vision for physical inspection of all
children in the public schools to find
the defects that may now be easily
eradicated, but let alone will make
adults physically unfit for the army or
for any other difficult tasks of life.
| Along this highway, even in the
larger and apparently progressive
towns, the protection of food from flies
is 2iven little attention. noticed cafes
with no attempt at screens and the
flies were having everything their own
way. Other conditions also indicated
that contaminated food was being eat
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