Tag Archives: screw-worm

December 19, 1934

Letterhead from the Georgia Emergency Relief Administration, Atlanta, Georgia.

Dr. W.E. Dove,
Entomologist,
In Charge of Screw Worm Control Work
P.O. Box #22
Savannah, Georgia

Dear Dr. Dove:

We are attaching hereto a copy of our state project number S-160-B18-11 A, which was approved yesterday covering an extension of the original screw worm project.

December 19, 1934

This project will be worked similar to the original approval, and you should get in touch with Mr. Harry Harmon, State Purchasing Agent, Georgia Emergency Relief Administration, Ten Forsyth Street Building, Atlanta, Georgia regarding the purchase of Benzol, Pine Tar, and other supplies for which a purchase release has been granted.

Very truly yours,

(Miss) Gay B. Shepperson
Relief Administrator for Georgia

RLM/WSS/et

Walter’s grant renewal for the screw-worm control project totaled $5,000, which would be $85,962 in today’s money. Only $1,900 was for labor, so they were distributing a lot of pine tar and benzene.

October 30, 1934

Stationery from the Hotel Mayflower, Jacksonville, Florida.

Slashes indicate premature line endings from mouse damage.

Tuesday A.M.

Dear Folks,

The meeting was/ one in every way. I am att/ Rotary here this noon. This/ John and I are going to Orlando to see Dr. King. He is dis/ over the fact that the Florida Extension people asked me to/ to the County agents on screw worms, when he has a program with them at the present time.

October 30, 1934

Will spend tonight at Orlando and tomorrow morning.

With love,
Walter.

August 7, 1934

Office of State Entomologist, State Capitol, Atlanta.

Dr. W.E. Dove
403 Postoffice Building
Savannah, Georgia

Dear Dr. Dove:

I am more than extremely sorry that the articles that appeared in the Savannah Evening News implicated you or indicated in any way that you were involved in political activities or criticised another Federal Department. I know that you were extremely careful in all the statements that you made to Congressman Parker and if I remember correctly, I did about nine-tenths of the talking with Mr. Sutlive. I am quite sure that he in no way desired to involve you in any way in any controversy but that it was his over eagerness to be of help. You may rest assured that if any trouble develops that I will do everything in my power to see that you do not suffer, for I know positively that you have not connected yourself with any political activities and have not criticised any other Bureau.

August 7, 1934

I realize, however, that Parker was interested in this project from a more or less political view point and that I made a mistake in asking for his assistance. However, I knew that that was our last hope.

I know that in case (which I do not believe will develop) any accusations are filed against you that you will not only have my support but the support of hundreds of your friends in your section. I know that Col. Butler would fight to the last ditch.

Miss Shepperson did not agree to our project as submitted and would not agree to purchase any materials. She has asked me to talk with Mr. Vansant, who is in charge of all their farm supervisors in the state and work out a project along the following lines:

FERA has a farm supervisor who is a graduate of the State College of Agriculture for every three counties in the State. Miss Shepperson proposed that we have meetings with these farm supervisors, discuss the situation with them and instruct them on how to treat the cattle and they in turn go into the counties assigned them and hold meetings in from three to six sections of the county depending entirely upon the size of the county. She also indicated that it would be possible where found necessary to have FERA workers destroy carcasses.

The only alternative she offered was to secure a special allotment of funds directly from Hopkins’ office for this work but did not advise strongly that we try to secure these funds.

I have not as yet talked with Vansant and desire to have your reaction before I do talk with him. I would greatly appreciate your wiring me collect tomorrow morning your reactions and if you and Roberts would be available for these sectional meetings. Frankly, I do not see how we can carry the project unless we do have your support.

I am quite sure that you are fully aware that I have never attempted to play politics with any of the FERA work and can assure you that so far as I am concerned, there will be no politics in these meetings. I think that the three of us could hold the meetings.

With kindest personal regards, I am

Yours very truly,

M S Yeomans

msy/as

September 19, 1933

Stationery from the Hotel Appling, Baxley, Georgia.

Walter and Ina are now living in Savannah, GA, and he’s touring the countryside giving presentations to ranchers about how to prevent and control screw-worm infestations in their livestock. At some point during this period, he worked with a film crew to create this educational movie. Additional 16mm footage from those filming sessions was part of the archive I inherited. Those film reels and other materials from Walter’s research are now stored safely at Johns Hopkins University, in case anyone needs to refer to them.

Tuesday Night.

My dear Sweetheart,

We ate lunch at Waycross and reached Alma about 215 PM. There were about 200 at the meeting but apparently very few screw worm cases in that county. Dr. Roffensperger did not come today. His wife is ill and he will not be with us until possibly Friday at Sylvester. We have the two meetings tomorrow as per schedule and one at Nahunta Thurs. A.M. Friday at 11 am we have the last of the week at Sylvester. If we get through there promptly we should get home early Friday night, that is about 10 o’clock.

September 19, 1933

So far there is one meeting after this week in Wayne County which is quite near Savannah. I think the county seat is Jessup. It is about 65 miles from Savannah.

The meeting went over OK today. We divided Dr. Roffensperger’s talk between Dr. White and myself.

Dr. White thinks that Oct 1st will close all of the meetings. I think we are near the close by the end of this week.

I am expecting some word from Mr. Sanders at Savannah. Would you please tell Mr. Hall of the meeting at *

Nahunta 11am Thursday 
- Western Union - Tifton Thursday night. 
Sylvester 11 AM   "

I love you lots and lots Honey and before long I expect to stay at home more.

Your
Walter.

* Walter wrote out the schedule in a tabular format, which I’ve tried to duplicate in the transcript. The reference to Western Union may mean that he wanted Ina to telegraph the information to Hall.

September 10, 1925 (Walter)

Thursday Night 9/10.

My Dear Little Girl,

At last I am down here alone, as Dr. White left tonight, and there is one dear little girl whom I wish for above everything else. I’d be mightily happy if you were here right now.

September 10, 1925 (Walter)

Dr. White’s train did not leave until 6PM which was after my train returned to the beach. He enjoyed it here and said that he would like to stay right here and keep on this problem. He really hated to leave. This was not due to my hospitality in particular, but the problem is so interesting and the climate and conditions for the work were so good that I believe that this accounts for his enjoyment. He invited me to use his lab in Washington at any time and assured me that there would always be room up there if I wanted to do some work there. Before leaving, we went back to the real estate office and he invested in three more tracts of land, making five in all. He is thoroughly sold, and will go back to Washington as a Florida booster. This gives him 50 acres and I really believe that within a year, one tract can be sold for enough to pay for the other four. $75 per acre is not much for acreage high and dry, so near a fast growing city. In Dallas, Mr. Munger of the Continental Gin Co. paid $163,000 for his 163 acres of land which at that time was miles from any development in the city. This was about 1912. The land was not adapted for any use as it was rough and cut into by small ravines. He developed this, with building restrictions for nice two story homes only, and in this one development he made a small fortune. The same thing has been accomplished in most every city showing growth, and I really believe that our acreage and also Dr. White’s will be suitable for use in such an addition here. It would not be unreasonable to suspect that this property may be wanted for a similar development and which would bring $1000 per acre or more. The Miami people here paid much more than this for some of their tracts. At $75 per acre, with the knowledge that this could not be bought after the 20th of this month for less than $100 per acre, it is a mighty safe and conservative investment. Here’s where Mr. & Mrs. Dove will cash in something, and Dear it will come in mighty handy for us.

I had a personal letter from Mr. Bishopp tonight. He will write another letter tomorrow. He did not mention the possibility of all winter work down here, but it is quite likely that he will favor it. He did not mention Mr. Brundrette, and it is his vacancy which makes me believe that we will have additional funds which would permit me to do field work here all winter. The economy program of the President makes it difficult to secure additional appropriations, and our request was turned down with others. This was not the Florida work request, but one which was requested from Texas. It so happens that the same problem affects this state seriously and I am going to make a few good contacts with the idea of having it added to the bill in Congress. We believe that it can be added and we hope that the requests will be strong enough to get it in over the Budget Committee. If we get that increase, there will be enough to do quite a bit of work in Florida, without an appropriation I had intended to work for. In other words, I am going to combine my efforts with those already given from Texas to show that their problem is not local but is important and affects the whole South. The problem has to be an urgent one in order to get more money. Don’t let this worry you, Dear, for whether we get it or not I’ll be on the pay roll from the regular appropriation just the same as I am now.

Had a note from my landlady tonight. I hadn’t seen her for a few days and suspected that she had gone. She is in West Palm Beach and will be here Sunday, but will not spend the winter here. She wants to rent me the cottage for the winter and says that the price will be as reasonable as any at the beach. I have very little doubt but what you would like it here until Spring (June). It looks better on the inside than it does from the street, and is modern except for gas to cook with. The bath is a shower like all of them down here, as everyone uses the surf and then rinses when they return. I can’t engage this or any other place until I know for sure where we will be.

This is getting to be a long chat and I must go to sleep, Dear. I love you and “you bet” I’d like to tell you in the most “impressive” way. You are just as sweet as you can be.

Your
Walter.

June 23, 1924

In June 1924, Walter was visiting ranches near Uvalde, TX to teach the ranchers how to combat the pernicious screw-worm fly (Cochliomyia hominivorax), which was then wreaking havoc with cattle and sheep. One Sunday, he met a young lady named Ina, but didn’t quite catch her last name. Nonetheless, he was so smitten that he wrote her a letter the next day.

Regan Wells, Tex.
June 23, 1924

Dear Miss Field,

I am taking the liberty to write this because I’d like to have you know that I certainly enjoyed your company Sunday. I only wish that I could have become better acquainted with you, though I feel that I know you quite well.

I started this note just before the dinner bell rang and immediately after eating we went coon hunting at Mr. Miller’s. The ladies didn’t go but I thought of you just the same. Had some fun and caught one good coon. They hunt them here just as they do in Mississippi.

June 23, 1924

When I returned Sunday evening Mrs. Taylor said some mighty nice things about you, but I can assure you that they only confirmed my opinion of you. You were a good sport to climb the mountain and get wet, and I wonder if the after effects were good. Have felt that you might have taken a cold, or that the exercise was too much for you.

Miss Ina, I am not sure just now but I believe that I can persuade Mr. Laake and Mr. Brundrette to get along without my assistance Saturday. I would like to come to Uvalde and return Sunday. If it is agreeable to yourself and you have no other engagement, I would like to see you Saturday evening. I presume that you are on duty during the afternoon. If it is not possible to see you Saturday, possibly I could go to church with you Sunday morning. I am not so anxious to go to church but I would like to see you.

Would you drop me a line so that I’ll get it Thursday? Trusting that I may hear from you and hoping that I can see you, I am,

Your friend,
Walter E. Dove