The Pensacola journal. (Pensacola, Fla.) 1898-1985, 1921-02-16
PRESS COMMENT
Lessons From the Fair


Three days of the South Florida fair
have already taught several very i'm
portant lessons to the people of this
state, and have shown many vital
truths to visitors. A thorough search
through the agricultural and horticul-
tural departments shows that Florida
is now producing every thing in the
way of food and clothing that is need
ed to make life comfortable.
A balanced ration" for man and
beast can be raised by every man
with a few acres of ground, provided
he exert intelligence and meet the
common demands of sub-tropical CHI
mates. Wheat, corn. rye, oats, barley,
and rice furnish the bread-au of
which are there in fine quality and
quantity. Beef, pork, mutton, fowl,
and wild game from venison and bear
to the humble rabbit, give the meats
wanted or needed. Cotton, both long
and short staple and the Egyptian
wool cotton" flax, hemp, silk, and
WOOL furnish the clothing needs.
Horses, mules and oxen give the nee
essaIy beasts Of burden, while the
tractor furnishes the modern plow
horse and farm animal. Pine, cypress,
cedar, oak, maple and poplar supply
us with the lumber for building Phos-
pilates, muck, peat, marls, and natural
bird guano deposits give the fertilizing
agencies for the farm and garden.
Clays for pottery, and brick-both
paving and building-along with the
finest sand for glass making, help
complete the home and furnish it, or
make the roads. All these are necess-
tiles. and all are found in Florida, and
shown at the South Florida fair.
In addition to these are all the lux
uries of the table, fruits, vegetables,
flowers, preserves, conserves, honey,
and syrups: and many of the most i'm
portant medicinal bases, whether cur
alive or remedial, such as camphor,
tar, and the healing roots and herbs
which enter prominently into the for
mulae of the u. S: pharmacopaea. So,
the first great lesson is the one of our
self-sustaining ability; and having
learned this from seeing what others
have done, are doing, and can do. we
forget the gloom that we have had
over us because we have not all done
what these have.
Then, and this is another picture, is
bitter lesson which is needed and
which we must learn if we are to
reach the pinnacle of success we would
sit on. Seeing what others have done
is 4 great stimulus to laudable compe-
tition and eXertion for the best, Hith-
erto there have been shown by side
of the Florida cattle, the finest speci-
mems of improved breeds from other
states. This year our cattle men and
farmers are deprived of this COMPARE
son between their own and the cattle
of other states, because Florida is
badly infected with the Texas fever
cattle tick, the presence Of which on
beef and dairy COW destroys the value
of that animal and places it in the
same category with the common
scrubs of the range or old fashioned
barnyard. If fine blooded cattle of
other states come into Florida, then,
before they can be taken home, the
regulation of those states have nro-
vided every safeguard for the cattle
of the state and require that dras-
tic tick eradication, or preventive
measures be taken before shipment
back. Georgia and Alabama have none
of their fine high bred beef and dairy
cattle here this year. Those states
cannot afford to risk the re-infection
of their herds and lands by the coming
of the Florida cattle tick. But not
only are exhibition cattle prevented
from coming to US, but we are shut
out of the markets and abattoirs of
those states, and all other states,
through the same cattle tick curse.
The fair shows us, then, the Won
derful opportunities we have. Our own
blindness, or carelessness. keeps US
from attaining the heights to which
those opportunities would lead us.
When we read that practically every
other state in the south subject to
ravages from this cattle industry liza
bility has rid itself of the curse, it
makes us pause in our saner moments
to wonder what manner of men we are
that we fight the movement to free
us Of the incubus. 1t makes US stand
and gaze in establishment at ourselves
as we dynamite tick dipping watts, cut
fences that surround land being sys-
tematically tick-freed, and harry
through all the courts of law the re-
quirements that we place ourselves on
the same high plane of endeavor and
accomplishment with states which
bear the palm of victor, and wear the
medal of attainment.-Tampa Tribune.
Whiskey AS Medicine
Wayne 3. Wheeler, general counsel
of the Anti Saloon league calls at
tention to what he designates as "the
remarkable decrease in the number
of physicians who prescribe whiskey."
1t appears from his figures that there
are 1892 physicians in the United
States, and only 33,379 of them hold
medical whiskey permits. This means
that only % per cent of the doctors
have cared enough about the matter
to obtain legal authority to prescribe
whiskey for medicinal purposes. Many
of them, Mr. Wheeler says, rarely