east, west, north and south. Fort Riley 
anti Camp Funston. In my next letter 
I will tell what we see after we go the 
western half. 
We meet some very nice people. Some 
that have driven oxen in their younger 
days travel miles now by auto to see our 
oxen, and for the younger generation who 
never saw working oxen we are a real 
treat. So we always have an audience 
when we reach a town or city. 
J. c. RERRA.VG. 
Watermelon as Disease Carrier 
What is the possibility of watermelon 
carrying fever germs and other ailments? 
A lecture has been delivered here by a 
physician, and a statement has been made 
ro that effect, a. k. 
Fruits and vegetables are quite inno¬ 
cent in themselves, so far as conveying 
disease of any kind is Concerned, though 
they may of course bo contaminated in 
handling, and in that way act as mechan¬ 
ical carriers of disease germs. Typhoid 
is believed to be acquired sometimes by 
eating raw vegetables from ground that 
has been polluted by discharges from 
typhoid patients, such pollution taking 
place through contaminated water used 
in watering them while growing or wash¬ 
ing them after gathering. 
I have never known of watermelons 
being accused of conveying fevers of any 
kind, and am sure that they are entirely 
incapable of doing it except as they may 
be soiled in handling. As to “other ail¬ 
ments." such watermelons as we get in 
the North are quite capable of inducing 
some of painful, if not dangerous, char¬ 
acter. There is a half watermelon in 
the icebox now that I personally know 
to be guilty of conduct unbecoming a 
Southern fruit. If it had had an oppor¬ 
tunity to get really ripe on the vine, how¬ 
ever. it would probably not only act but 
taste differently. You may like to know 
that watermelons of what, I presume, are 
the Tom Watson variety or type, are now 
selling in the stores of Southern New 
York at 40 cents each. Only occasionally 
does one get hold of a melon that is really 
eatable. Most of them are hard, half- 
ripe and capable of giving only a sug¬ 
gestion of watermelon flavor and sweet¬ 
ness. M. B. D. 
Bats Clean Out Mosquitoes 
On page 940 you have an item on “Get¬ 
ting Rid of Bats.” The writer does not 
seem to know the utility of bats. The 
commonest bat. of the more thau o.OOO 
varieties, known as the velvet-winged bat, 
is a small variety with a body hardly as 
large as a mouse, and they live upon 
mosquitoes when they can get them. 
Here, where there are mosquitoes all 
around us, we have none, because in some 
old buildings there are bats that eradi¬ 
cate our mosquitoes. If you will go to 
San Antonio. Tex., you will find the city 
has several municipally owned bat i*oosts 
well stocked, and there are no mosquitoes 
or malaria in San Antonio. The Lake 
Mitchell district was ns badly a malaria 
infested region as any in the world, and 
malaria was common, hut a bat roost 
was put up and stocked, and the last re¬ 
port of the Texas Board of Health stated 
that not one case of malaria was reported 
from the Lake Mitchell district in four 
and one-half years, ns the mosquitoes 
were eradicated. If you doubt these 
statements, write to Dr. Chas, A. 1L 
Campbell, Box 474, San Antonio. Tex., or 
to the mayor, or to the San Antonio 
Aeademy of Medicine. 
Louisiana. georoe d. colema.v. 
We investigated this matter of using 
bats at San Antonio some time ago and 
■printed tho story. Special roosts or 
houses are built for the bats, just outside 
the city. These bats roost during the 
daytime and go flying out in droves or 
squadrons at night. They do without 
doubt destroy many mosquitoes, and 
scientific men feel sure that in the South 
they may be useful in keeping this pest 
in cheek. Our entomologists are con¬ 
vinced that the bats could not endure our 
Northern Winters. While there are a 
few nests or roosts to he found here and 
there, it is not probable that they could 
be bred and kept in such great numbers 
as are found in the warm climate of the 
South. When they crowd into the upper 
part of an occupied house they become s > 
offensive that few families can stand 
them. 
Montgomery Ward £? 0. 
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