Letters, Dec. 14, 1931

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Black Cow

Sirs:

Shame on TIME for defaming the time-honored "black cow"! (TIME, Nov. 16).

Guzzlers know the "black cow" is composed of root beer and cream. . . .

WILLIAM L. VALLEE

New York City

THE STATEMENT REGARDING BEVERAGE SUPPLIED THE COMMITTEE AT THE METROPOLITAN CLUB CONTAINS IN THE LANGUAGE OF THE CONCLUDING PARAGRAPH OF THE COMMITTEE'S REPORT TO THE PRESIDENT [on the Navy League's attack on the Hoover naval policy] QUOTE MANY INACCURACIES FALSE ASSERTIONS AND ERRONEOUS CONCLUSIONS UNQUOTE THE BEVERAGES INDULGED IN BY THE COMMITTEE WERE COFFEE AND CREAM AND PLAIN WATER CHEMICALLY REPRESENTED AS H2O STOP ALAS

JOHN HAYS HAMMOND

New York City

Dry Georgia

Sirs:

We are so thankful here in this South Georgia county that we have had a few light showers of rain in the last several days. It's the first rain we have had since about the 15th of August, 1931. So much dust and such heavy smoke and dense fogs each morning, staying so gloomy all day, and so unpleasant to breathe natural, especially at night. Forest fires have raged continually in all sections of the country, in dry swamps destroying millions of lovely long leaf pines. The Forest Rangers had water hauled from deep wells in cities, trying to stop some of these fires, but found that their work was too feeble to battle with the flames. So there have been in the near counties of Clinch and Lanier 10,000 sq. mi. burned over, according to the report sent in to our local paper Valdosta Times last week. I have been an interested reader of TIME several months, so decided to report this longest dry time which the oldest or middle-aged inhabitants can remember experiencing in this locality. The river Withlacooche is so near dry, hogs walk in centre of river bed just knee deep. The water is generally 15 ft. or 20 ft. deep when of normal depth. TIME is very wonderful.

MRS. L. E. McLExoox

Ousley, Ga.

Georgia's current drought and forest fires are without parallel in the State's history. Mean total rainfall in November was .04 in., surpassed only by the .01-in. low of November, 1922 which, however, was not preceded by such weeks of drought as this year. Fires cut a line through the middle of the State to the coast. Many people were killed in automobile accidents in the smoke pall. Airplane operations were resumed only last week. Wild life suffered badly. Reported the United Press last week: "Bird life including every known species from sparrow to mammoth owls present a pitiful sight with screaming and chattering. The noise is deafening —weird sounds around occasional water holes where wild life flocks and fights for existence. Waters formerly productive of fish are now barren, the fish left baking in the sun on the banks. Suwannee (of song fame), Satilla, Alapaha, and Setto Rivers are now mere excavations with occasional mudholes, wild and domestic hogs feeding upon fish left marooned by drought."—ED.

Boxer Roosevelt

Sirs: