Atlanta semi-weekly journal. (Atlanta, Ga.) 1898-1920, 1919-07-29
MRsFEITONS TALKS
CONDUCTED BY
H4Rs VII. FELTON,

l lived in Georgia when the rep
reSentativeS of the state, both house
and senate, voted to leave the old
town of Milledgeville. The war left
debt of the Confederacy was repu-
dated. The buildings at Milledge-
vile had to be rebuilt or abandoned
Except the state house and govern
or's mansion, there was little of
value.
There was no serious objection to
Milledgeville that L recollect except
that it was an out-of-the-way sort
of place and Atlanta was already
railroad center. Atlanta offered at
tractive inducements and the state
accepted the offer.
In the year 1877, a constitutional
convention accepted Atlanta as the
place to hold the capital-Milledge
vile kept the insane asylum and all
the rest, apc seemed well satisfied
the time for Macon to meet all of
Atlanta's propositions and exceed
them, if they so desired, and they
declined to do so. l have always
felt that the state got value recelv-
ed out of the propositions that At.
lanta made at the critical time OF
placing state capital
The city of Atlanta gave excel
lent locations and they are still as
good as Macon can offer. Tattnall
square in Macon is no more desirable
than the present location in Atlanta.
ago-a nice city-nice people-and
can boast of as much condensed
heat as any town, from Augusta to
the city of Columbus, in midsum-
mer [ had an experience on a sick
bed. in Macon in July of 1865. l
can speak very accurately on the
subject of summer heat in Macon.
The latter place is much hotter. If
mercury can decide the mooted queS-
ton of high temperatures - and L
think Atlanta has an advantage in
that respect.
am satisfied in my own mind
that Macon is really moving towards
dividing the empire state of the
south into two parts north and
south Georgia. Our lawmakers have
gone daft on making new counties,
and south Georgia leads them ALL
Alabama, nearly as large as Georgia,
has but little over fifty counties and
gets along very we'll. Georgia, run
wild on new counties, has, as I be-
lieve, three times or more people
as Alabama. A great metropolitan
large representation in congress.
Georgia appears to think that a
multitude of counties constitutes
greatness and crowds the state cap
ital with a great lot of representa-
yves OH IdlueI Hloueio pop"i'-
ton.
But let US all be good hundred
about it. If Macon gets the capital
then the state will be legally COM
PEELED to pay Atlanta for whatever
is coming to the city for breach Of
promise" Real estate in 1919 will
De the basis for an equitable settle
ment. Macon will then be taxed to
pay back to Atlanta all that belongs
| to her and with interest running
back to the time when the trade was
contaminated fifty-odd years and
| more. Somebody will be wiser after
| that happens.
Bol1-weevils and Eel Worms
Cotton and wheat are the main
Georgia at least. The cotton crop
| is a very great and paying crop at
present high prices. Therefore the
| boil weevil which never fails to be-
stroy every cotton boll-Gf it IS
| young and tender)-is dreadful
weevil and greatly to be, dreaded.
| If the Weevil sleeps in the early
spring until some bolls harden and
| get ready to open-those bolls will
| mature salable cotton lint. Wherever
| the boil weevil pierces the young
| tender square or the small boil that
follows the bloom-that boil is
dead for all time And great cotton
| 49,
| the lower Gulf states.
The eel worm is a new devastator.
| 1t gets into the tender wheat heads
and plays havoc-when 1t puts on
what you might denominate full
head of steam" L have lived a long
time and most of the time on farms
| l have seen wheat fields lin the
| boot"-that would not mature a
bushel of good grain to the acre,
| diseased with what was called rust.
suppose this rust had germ OF
| evil-which turned the stalk and the
young blade very yellow. The germ
| theory prevails very extensively IN
modern science-as there are germs
in plants, in animals and in hu-
mans.
For a good many years the farm
| ers in my immediate section have
| given up wheat culture. Somehow
the soil seems to be non-receptive-
| or the cultivation is improper. Any
| how, wheat has been back number
| in these parts.
If the eel worm terminates like
| the bollweevil there will be fewer
wheat fields in Georgia and sorrier
grain.
havoc with cotton-and seventeen
year locusts were great crop de-
stroyers. In the northern states
there are pests which ruin shade
trees In north Georgia if you cut
down a pine sapling in the forest,
in the fall of the year, all the young
pines in the vicinity will turn yell
| low and finally die.
The Bible says: "All flesh is as
grass" and grass can take on an
ailment and perish until the root and
the stalk cease to germnate. At
some time or another everything
will finally die-which ever had life
or animation. To get back to the
| boll-worm and eel-worm, for both
may be called weevils-they prom
Use to make cotton culture in the
| Gulf states very uncertain. If the
eel-worm prevails at any time in the
| northwest the bread problem may be