Newspaper Page Text
Viewpoints
Our
Views
Mutual aid
For native Southerners, the idea of a
Republican representing them at any level of
government is still difficult to comprehend.
The idea of Republicans and Democrats
working together on anything is even more
difficult to understand.
That’s before Houston County politics.
Two years ago, when Pam Bohannon was
elected to the seat formerly held by Sonny
Watson, many scratched their heads about
how Republican Bohannon would work with
the rest of the state delegation, all
Democrats. Things worked well.
Now, Sonny Perdue has changed parties.
He's working his way through becoming a
Republican and maintaining his relationship
with the county delegation. He’s appeared
recently with Rep. Larry' Walker at several
events and commented about how the two of
them will continue to work together.
We re glad partisan politics won’t spoil a
good relationship and an important link to
keeping Houston County in leadership spots.
Thanks for support
Editor:
My family and I would like to thank the many
people in Perry for the kind acts, food, cards, calls,
visits, and prayers after Ben’s accident.
We sometimes forget how generous our town is
until you are faced with a near tragedy as we were.
Everyone offered to help. I realized I had left
my w allet at home and a very dignified hanker had
it in Knoxville the next morning.
Another friend and neighbor met us in Atlanta
so we were able to avoid the hassle of the airport
parking
We are so grateful to God for giving us such a
wonderful family and friends and for allowing us
to live in the best town anywhere. Perry, Ga.
Please keep us in your prayers.
Arthur and Marge White
Perry
What’s happening to my tomato?
Blossom-end rot could be the problem. Many of
the calls I’ve received this week turned out to be
this physiological disorder. It is a symptom of cal
cium deficiency in the fruit. Blossom-end rot
affects tomatoes, along with peppers, eggplant, and
some melons. It may appear in plants where there
is low soil calcium, low levels of calcium in the
maturing fruit. Other reasons may be cultural fac-
tors, such as
fluctuating
soil mois
ture.
The first
symptoms
show up as
small dark
ened or
Ricky
Wheeler
Extension
Service
water-soaked areas around the blossom end of the
fruit as it ripens The spots will darken, enlarge and
become sunken as the tomatoes mature. Lesions
may also produce large concentric rings. The tissue
is leathery and firm unless invaded by secondary
decay organisms. Quite commonly, the affected
fruit area becomes infected with secondary
pathogens They will show up as black, felt-like
growth on the tomatoes.
Foliar sprays of calcium will not correct blos
som end rot once it starts on the fruit. Fruits do not
have openings in the epidermis so that moisture
can be lost or calcium can enter the surface of the
fruit However, it will help prevent blossom-end
rot on developing fruit as it is taken up in the
foliage. The best way to prevent the problem is to
apply lime several months before planting to low
calcium soils.
Cultivars that produce large amounts of foliage
and grow very quickly tend to be more susceptible
to blossom-end rot. Reducing nitrogen levels will
help reduce the chance of blossom-end rot showing
up The use of 5-10-15 fertilizers instead of a typi
cal 10-10-10 will help reduce nitrogen problems
associated with blossom-end rot.
Here are a few more ideas for prevention of
blossom-end rot. Do not subject the plants to a
sever “hardening off’ before transplanting. Do not
plant too early in the spring. Tomatoes planted in
cold soil will have a higher risk of blossom-end rot.
Remove fruits when symptoms of blossom-end rot
first appear.
If you have any questions, on blossom-end rot
or other cultural practices, please call the Houston
County Extension office at 987-2028.
Houston Tlm-Journal
PO Drawer M • 807 Carroll St. • Perry, Ga 31069
email jjedit @horn net
(912) 987-1823 (vjice)* (912) 988-1181 (fax)
Bob Tribble President
Jj Johnson Editor and General Manager
Shem Wengler Advertising Director
News: Emily Johnstone. Pauline Lewis, Joan Dorsett,
News and Composition Charlotte Perkins, Sports and
Classified Ads Chad Lewis; Circulation and Photography:
Enc Zeilars. Bookkeeping: Paula Zimmerman
Jk
1
Red Rover, watermelon cuttings and fireflies
Just about this time every year. I get
an urge to forget my job. take off my
shoes and go hide in the shade of a
magnolia tree My head may know I’m
way too old to be getting out of school
for the summer, but that feeling is still
deep in my bones.
When I was a child, that last bell on
the last day of school blissful
freedom a kind of freedom kids
today seem to have lost to air-condi
tioning, television cartoons, video
games, organized recreation and
lessons of all kinds.
It was a freedom from grown-up
good intentions.
Many of you may remember what I
mean. It wasn't that we were neglect
ed. The world was just different back
then. Safer, for one thing.
When summer came, kids headed
outdoors. It wouldn't have occurred to
~Tue Peanut GalurV
We’re among rue iucky. Capp/ng
rue BEST YEARS Of OUR UfE, tVfTU
OUR ItfE sr/ll fNTACT. I
COtf* ** *O4 / .
/ J \ 11 I I efT our 0f ™ £7
iKJ ' oAMM'fd
VvJ.*™ raytoona@hom.net
Scotty’s Castle is Death Valley blessing
Death Valley is full of surprises. I
identified some of them in last week's
article. Another one regards an unusual
relationship between two men. Starting
as a quest for gold, the partnership
developed into something far more valu
able.
Much lore surrounds the estate
known as "Scotty's Castle” The
National Park Service, which now main
tains and offers guided lours of the facil
ity, admits it’s not sure which of the sto
nes are fact and which are enhance
ments.
The estate is attractive and opulent.
Far more interesting, however, is the
unusual life-long relationship which
developed between Walter Scott and
Albert Johnson.
Walter Scott headed west from his
birthplace in Kentucky when he was
young. He worked in the gold mines of
California, then toured with Buffalo Bill
Cody’s traveling “Wild West" show.
Fired by Cody for failing to show up for
performances. Scott headed back out
towards California.
Scott figured that the rugged hills of
Death Valley, parched and austere, sure
ly must contain plenty of that glittery,
glamorous gold. Scotty, as he became
known, may not have been blessed as a
prospector, but he was certainly gifted
with the ability to tell good stones!
He started spreading a tale through
the contacts he’d made back east that
held struck a huge gold vein. Scotty con
vinced a wealthy insurance executive,
Albert Johnson, that he needed some
money for mining equipment. Scotty
assured Albert that he'd benefit from the
proceeds of his Death Valley gold mine
Scotty's reports of one unexpected
disaster after another were successful in
keeping the money flowing. Meanwhile.
Our Policies
Unsigned editorials appearing in larger type on this page
under the label Our Views reflect the position of the Houston
Times-Journal Signed columns and letters on this page (and
elsewhere in this newspaper) reflect the opinions of the writ
ers and not necessarily those of this newspaper.
Signed letters to the editor are welcomed Please limit let
ters to 300 words and include addresses and a telephone
number for verification purposes Letters are not published
without verification Letters should be sent to P.O Drawer
M, Perry. Ga.. 31069 or brought to the newspaper office at
807 Carroll St . Perry
Our liability for an error will not exceed the cost of space
Page 4A
- Wed., May 27,199(i
Charlotte
Perkins
Times-Journal Staff
us to stay inside, because there was
nothing to do inside Outdoors was
where the fun was. and since we had
never experienced air-conditioning,
we thought temperatures in the 90s
were fine
Nobody supervised our activities
when we were outdoors. I grew up in
Montezuma, but I imagine a Perry
childhood in the 1940 s and 50's was
much the same. We played neighbor
hood-wide games of “Hide and Go
Seek,” “Cops and Robbers" and "Red
Rover."
...and He saw
it was good
Dennis Hooper,
Columnist
Scotty was using the funds to enjoy the
high life of San Francisco, bragging
about the success of his gold mine in
Death Valley'
Albert decided he'd better have a
look at his investment, so he notified
Scotty he and his wife Bessie would be
arriving in a few days This didn't alarm
Scotty. He knew Albert had been in a
train wreck when he was young and had
residual back pain and breathing diffi
culties. In fact, the doctors said he didn't
have long to live. Scotty figured after a
day or two of torturous nding in the heal
o( Death Valley. Albert would quickly
lire and leave, and all would be well
again
Albert arrived and loved every
thing about Death Valley. The dry air
helped his breathing, and riding a horse
limbered his back He felt great' To
Scotty’s surprise. Albert and Bessie
stayed for a month'
Oh, the Johnsons never saw the gold
mine, but it didn’t really matter Albert
was enjoying life for the first time since
his accident! For several years. Albert
and Bessie would come visit Scotty, who
served as their personal guide around
Death Valley, entertaining them with his
stories.
Albert decided to build a vacation
home in Death Valley. He bought some
land in Grapevine Canyon and started
construction. Albert haled attention, so
he let Scotty deal with all the gawkers
and news reporters.
occupied by the error
We cannot be responsible for the return of pictures or sub
mitted materials unless a stamped, return address envelope is
included
Our Goal
The Houston Times-Joumal is published proudly for the
citizens of Houston and adjoining counties by Houston
Publications Inc . Perry. Ga Our goal is to produce quality,
profitable, community-oriented newspapers that you. our
readers, are proud ol We will reach this goal through hard
work, teamwork, loyalty and a strong dedication toward
printing the truth
Member of Georgia Press Association and National
Talk about a violent game: Red
Rover was it Kids formed into two
gangs, laced each other with arms
locked, and screamed out, "Red Rover,
Red Rover, send (whoever) right
over."
Then the hapless child whose name
was called got to try to break through
the human chain
We rode bikes a lot. and sometimes
we all got together and skated That
was when we had skate keys to attach
our skates to the soles of our leather
shoes.
We zoomed up and down the side
walk and down the few paved drive
ways. stopping mainly by grabbing
trees or slapping our palms up against
garage doors Most kids wound up
with a skinned knee or elbow I
myself special by breaking my arm
There were, of course, a few grown
At
Scotty loved the publicity he told
folks that this castle being built in the
middle of nowhere was his. built from
the proceeds of his gold mine
Stxm Albert and Bessie moved into
their new home, complete with a special
guest room for Scotty Together they
entertained visitors, many of whom
were famous celebnties and dignitaries
Scotty supplied the wit and charm with
stones of his gold mine and Albert con
tinued to supply the funds
Disputes over land boundanes tem
porarily halted construction of the estate.
Then the depression of the early 30s
reduced the size of Albert's wealth The
elaborate plans were never completed
Bankers brought charges of fraud
against Scotty Albert, called to testify at
the trial, was asked why he continued to
provide money to this con artist when it
was clear there was no gold mine Albert
answered “He repays me with laughs
Scotty was acquitted.
Some say Scotty’s gold mine was
Albert s bank account. On the surface, it
looks like maybe Albert got the short
end of the deal But because of his med
ical limitations, doctors in Chicago had
told Albert that he'd likely die in his 40s
The exercise in Death Valley’s warm,
dry air. combined with the medicine of
Scotty's outlandish stones, extended his
life another 30 years beyond that!
Sometimes God takes our lives on
unusual journeys He has a plan for each
of us. a plan for abundance and peace,
not evil. Like Albert Johnson. God may
have provided your "gold mine" in some
other form In what special way is God
blessing you 9
(Pern resident Dennis Hooper con
tinues to share stories of his recent trav
els across America.)
Houston Times-Journal
Newspaper Association
"Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment
of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridg
ing the freedom of speech, or of die press, or of die right of
the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the
Government for a redress of gnevances " Your right to read
this newspaper is protected by the First Amendment to the
United States Constitution
The Houston Tlmes-Journal (USPS 000471) la pub
lished weekly for $21.20 per year (including sales tax) by
Houston Publications Inc-, 807 Carroll SL, Perry, Ga.,
31069. Periodicals Class Postage paid at Perry, Ga.
POSTMASTER : Send address changes to the HsaMss
Times-Journal, P.O. Drawer M, PeiTy, Ga. 31069. ISSN:
1075-1874.
up interventions in the long stretch of
summer. There was Vacation Bible
School, which was so much better than
real school, there was no comparison
My fnends and I went to both the
Methodist and Baptist VBS. I actually
still remember that they had chocolate
milk at the Baptist Church, but not at
the Methodist. The Methodists won
with me, however, because we had arts
and crafts and got to make hot iron
transfers from crayoned leaves. (Lord,
those were patient people!)
TVre were occasional major family
events like a watermelon cutting.
I have to explain to younger readers
that watermelon was not eaten in the
house in those days. Also, nobody I
knew ever bought one. Watermelons
were mysteriously left on front porch
(See PERKINS, Page SA)
Bob
Tribble
Times-
Journal President
Should cigarette
taxes be increased?
A lot of conversation is going on
around Washington these days about
the already high taxes on cigarettes by
as much as $1.50 per pack. Supporters
argue a higher tax will reduce smok
ing, especially by teen-agers, while at
the same time generating much new
revenue for the federal government to
use toward deficit reduction or other
program spending.
Dr Mike Walden, a professor and
North Carolina Cooperative
Extension Service Specialist at N.C.
Stale University, wrote about the issue
recently in his "You Decide" column
In the column he endeavors to provide
a balanced look at a number of issues
to let you decide Let s look at some of
his findings.
Many people don't agree higher
taxes will keep people from smoking.
Also, they say there is a contradic
tion in the argument for higher ciga
rette taxes. But, if higher taxes do
reduce smoking then federal revenues
would be less provided massive num
bers of folks stopped smoking
So, who is right in the issue ’ One
of the first concepts learned in eco
nomics is the "law of supply and
demand" The law of demand should
say consumers will buy less of a prod
uct when prices rise and will purchase
more of a product when prices fall
Some analysts say this won't work
that way with tobacco due to its poten
tial addictive nature.
If smokers are addicted to ciga
rettes. won't they continue to smoke as
much as always even if prices rise'’
Fast studies have shown to some
degree the law of demand does apply
to smokers in general For every 10
percent increase in the price of ciga
rettes, purchases have fallen an aver
age of five percent
Results for teen-agers are less con
clusive with some studies showing
teen-age smokers aren t influenced by
prices, whereas other studies have
found a decline in teen-age smoking
when prices go up
So the basic results of the studies
suggest smoking in general will
decline somewhat as a result of higher
prices, but there is no certainty teen
age smoking will change.
The next question surrounding the
tax controversy is what impact will it
have on cigarette tax revenues 9
Currently, the federal government col
lects $6 billion annually from tobacco
excise taxes. Supporters of the high
tax say this amount would rise to more
than S3O billion annually with the
higher taxes
If cigarette purchases fall by a
lower percentage than the increase in
the price, then tax revenues will rise.
Therefore, since studies show that
purchases will fall by five percent for
every 10 percent increase in prices,
tax revenues should nse when taxes
(See TRIBBLE, Page SA)