HomeMy WebLinkAboutClinton News Record, 1944-12-28, Page 8PAGE g E DEC. 28th, 1944
Inter -Tram Cornrnunjcatio
• 1atest Electrical Feature'
,
A icinefaIt need fora meanie 'of
,00m•munication between trains
whether moving or etaading, and be-
wden tra1s arid waySiderstations is
belieVecl to h4Ve 'beeri net in the
train telephone system used on the
• , Belvidere branch of the Pennsyl•s
vania railroad. ,
Sirfoa• the darliest days of experi-
, mentation with radio, a recent issue
• of Railway Age points out the •rail-
roads and manufacturers of electri-
cal equipmeift have been attempting
to solve The problem of providing
reliable, communication on and be-
tween railroad' trains and wayside
etations.
• This innovation is the lates't of a
long lit c,f improverneats developed
by the railroads in cooperation with
• , various electrical manufacturers to
expedite train movements and af-
ford better service for the public.
Discoveries and developments in
the field of electronics have •been
utilized by the railroads in numerous
was, and constant research is un-
der way to find means of further
increasing the efficiency of railroad
Eper a tions . Among more recent con-
tributions in the field of electrical
and electronic developments are cen-
tralized traffic control, dragging
equipment detectors, cab signals,
radio -telephone tugboat dispatching,
telephone announcing systems in
yards and stations, yard engine tele-
phone systems, rnagnaflux method
• of examination of axles for cracks,
Sperry apparatus - ctor detecting
flaws in rails, and the like.
Clean Thoroughly Behr—,
Disinfecting the Barn
Thorough cleaning should always
precede the application of disinfec-
tants in treating barns, is the rec-
ommendation of veterinarians.
Moistening of the litter and wood-
work and then the removal of all
litter is recommended. The walls
and ceiling should be thoroughly
brushed to remove cobwebs, old
whitewash, andsany other objection-
able materials. Then remove all
manure and about four inches of top-
soil in barns with dirt floors. Follow-
ing this, clean soil should be sub-
stituted for that which has been
removed.
Disinfectants should be applied in
hot solutions, preferably with a
spray pump. The force of this spray
will apply the' disinfectant into all
cracks and crevices. Some livestock
men like to mix fresh water, slacked
with lime, with the disinfectant as
it helps in keeping check on the dis-
infected areas.
One pound of lye to 20 ,gallons of
water for genehal barn disinfection
is recommended. It should be re-
membered,however, that caustic
lye is a poison, and that the worker
should avoid,breathing in or getting
the fine lye dust into the eyes.
Calcium Builds Teeth
Ninety-nine per cent of the calcium
in the body is used in building and
repairing the bones and teeth. The
•one per cent does special jobs in the
blood and nerves for the body's
health and efficiency'.
Homeheakeks should include as
much milk and milk products in
:daily meals as wartime condithins
permit, and should waste none.
While milk is the number one
source of calcium and no other food
is nearly so rich in it, greens from
the garden are a pretty. good number
two sourc. Greens that yield good
calcium returns include loose -leaved
varieties bfgreen cabbage and green
lettuce, mustard and turnip. greens,
broccoli, collards and kale. Head
lettuce and head cabbage have rela-
tively little of thi6 mineral. Dried
beans, soybeans, eggs and molasses
do their part toward the calcium
supply.
Soldiers, Are Versed in
,
ManyTypes of Pamtmi
wheri goldierer tritinedIat The' quar
termaster painting • sehopl of the
army at Camp Lee, •Va., .,return ti
civilian Weer they'ewill' be equippet
With "a new aptitude for • employ
ment. In addition to general in
struction in paintiiy, a considerabh
.ernoent of signs and general paint
ing was taught and practiced whin
the painting. course was in progres1
CUmp Lee. A report from ffie
school stated,:
"They've painted thousands oi
signs—street labels, traffic warning
signals, regimental regulating signs ,
mess, platoon and other buildingla.
bels, as well as hundreds of d
e
sk
signs for use in offices and orderly
reome. They've made countless bre
sit military training aids in posters
for visual instruction and many gen.
eral morale posters. They've done
everything from painting an occa-
sional sign on the side of a truck
in the Motor trait -ling school to re-
finishieg furniture and other jobs in
coordination with the, carpenters
school. Countless offices in camps
have been painted and decorated by
trainees in painting school, and the
rows of buildings used by the baking
school were painted both inside and
out."
The army training in painting pro-
gram contemplated assignment of
the soldier -painters, after completion
of their instruction at Camp Lee, to
an army camp, post, or station in
this country, or to a unit in the com-
bat zone. Many painters are needed
n quartermaster bases and depots
in the theater of operations imme-
diately beck of the front lines.
Seed Flat Useful in
Garden During Summer
A seed flat is useful in the garderi Levitats finds.
throughout the year. In hot, dry "In the nature of things, the 18th
summer weather it is often very century trend toward emancipation
difficult to obtain good germination resulted in a general curtailment of
from seeds of lettuce, endive, kohl- self-government. Specifically, the
rabi, and some others sown in the enlightened absolutism of Joseph II
garden. of Austria and the motto of 'Lib -
This is as difficult in rainy weath- erty, Equality, Fraternity' promul-
er as in dry, when the soil is some- gated by the French Revolution pre -
what heavy; because rains compact supposed a gradual renunciation by
the soil over the seed, the heat the Jews of their institutions of self -
bakes it, and the seed sprouts can- rule; and so it was in practice. In
not emerge. the wake of actual Jewish emanci-
But. a seed flat can be filled with pation in the West during the 19th
sandy loam, placed in a shady spot, century, Jewish identity dwindled
and easily kept moist, so that seeds down to a mere religious differen-
will germinate as easily as in the tiation."
spring. By allowing the plants to
reach a good size in the flat, they
can usually be transplanted to the
garden with small loss, and your
second and third crops proceed to
gron on schedule.
Many gardeners feel that it is
easier to transplant lettuce and en-
dive from a flat to the garden. row,
than it is to thin out the row, when
the seed is sown in the open. By
sowing your flat a week or two be-
fore the previous crop is exhausted
Find irradiated.Yeait ' Report Trea4aant of Gas•
.g, sniall'ain. 'butit:"Of irala-djaWtea-y2eeLse . JI:i• Gnainsnagoafra:;nseeTWo it rnliy be•
'• Ise
appears •to'speed up the, growth "of r`"'
is repOrted in the Journal of the
pigs 4n> winter, ,If irradiated yeast
American Medical Association. The
continues to give as gofitieresulte as authors say , that it was reCently
if has in the limited work slorie with etateclahat penicillin, experimental -
it at the University of Wisconsin, ly, is a potent agent iii as bacillus
then it rriaa bearane a "must" In infections, but up to thattbne . ere
winter• hog production.
'Ineone `of the experiments •for e'''' The importance of
had been no studies of human cases.
ample, pigs q.hat received 4 ounces the rePort is
emphasized by the fact that althdugh
et irradiated yeast in each toil ef•
gas gangrene is a comparatively
feed, and had the run of the cow rare nfecficn in civilian life, it it
yard, out -distanced all others. They a. serious menace, in military opera -
pounds
average `daily gains of 1,51 •
titans. The mortality rate in civilian
pouads per head and required any cases has been estimated at 49.7 per
375 pounds of feed to prOduce ' eae 1 cent eshile. the death rete from the
100 pounds a perk: infection in the American Expedi-
In the same trial, pigs getting
. tionary forces in France in the last
irradiated yeast as the only vitamin
i• war was 48.52 per cent.
supplement came in second, making Three California physicians report
slightly faster and more etionernieal that, "We observed a severe gas in.
gains than those whose vitamin eup-
fection in a seven-year-pld girl..After
plement was Cow manure only. - all routine measures, including
se -
The effect of irradiated yeast is rums, sulfonamides and amputation,
ascribed to its vitamin' la content had failed, penicillin was provided
since the type used assays $4,000,000 in sufficient quantities to treat sue
-
U. S. P. units of this factor to the cessfully the patient, whose Outlook
pound, and since it contributes only seemed hopeless. The isolation of
traces of the B vitamins when used our mountain hospital made it un -
at the ,level, of only four ounces tO prepared and unequipped to furnish
.
un -
the tonof feed.
Jews Enjoyed Autonomsr
From Ancient Times
From very ancient times Jews in
every land have enjoyed autonomy
to a wider or narrower degree, says
Dr. Isaac Levitats in a study pub-
lished by the Columbia University
Press.
"Autonomy reached its height dur-
ing the Middle Ages, when, M the
absence of a law equalizing the citi-
zens of the state, it became neces-
sary to invest each group with legal
corporate rights of its own," Dr.
no time is lost.
Griddle Cakes
One of the commonest faults in
griddle cake making is over -mixing.
H griddle cakes or pancakes have
been rather heavy ancrsoggy, stir
only until the ingredients are well
blended. Further mixing gives a
tough cake. Griddle' cakes can be
made with either sweet milk or sour
milk. The sweet milk ones are
usually thinner and more, moist,
while• buttermilk or sour milk gives
the light, fluffk, tender type gener-
ally preferred.
As for the baking, the griddle
should be ht. Heat the griddle or
heavy iron skillet slowly, so that the
heat will penetrate evenly. Above
all, turn the cakes only once and at
the proper time in order to give
them a professional look. If they
are terned too soon, the batter will
.spread from underneath the brown
top and give , a ragged edge. If
• tuned too late, the bottom will be
pitted and the cakes will brown
Judging ,Distance poorly. Watch for the moment when
How do the eyes judge the size the cake is brown on the underside
and the distance of objects? ,Chiefly and puffed and lightly set, but not
by the size of the tiny Picture made pitted on top. Serve as soon as they
'on the retina of the eyes. The big- come from the griddle. When cakes
ger the object, the bigger the image. are stacked, the ones op the bottetn
Move the object away, and • the get steamed and soggy.
retinal image is smaller. Also help- '
ful in judging size and distance is -
the feeling of the ciliary muscle in Benedictine Liqueur
contracting the lens, and the pres- "Benedictine," the fatuous aro-
sure of the external muscles in ad- matic liqueur, takes its name from
justing the eye. t B di
Frozen Beans
Homemakers can add a nutritious
and teaditional American dish to
their menus by using the new frozen
baked beans.
The method of cooking the beans
varies slightly, of course, with the
different brands. -Some of them have
molasses added and others are
packed hi tomato sauce. All of them
have been cooked thoroughly and
just need to be heated.
The frozen beans may be put in a
sauce pan with. two tablespoons of
water and heated about 15 minutes
ontopof thestove,
be served in the traditional man-
ner—a piping hot bean pot just out
of the oven. Molasses, chili sauce,
mustard, onion or a slice of bacon
may be added while heating to im-
prove the flavor.
Don't thaw the beans before cook-
ing. If they thaw don't try to re -
freeze them, but use them at once.
They are at their best in flavor and
• texture when kept frozen right up to
the cooking time.
Fancy Names
A recent collection of birth cer-
tificates filed with the Georgia de- j
partment of public health revealed
such names as Sunset and Icie Riv-
ers; reference to cash in such names
as Good Price, Honest Price and
Major Sales; geographical contribu-
tions like Georgia Possum, Asia
Minor, Whose Cracker, China Rice,
and some twins named Utah and
Arizotia Reynolds. The hope for the
future was expressed in such names
as Wash Saturday, Buster Good, and
Be 'Careful McGee, Especially to
be noted were ,Perty Smart, Love
Session, Wash Fountain, Rather
Bigg, Spanish Dentist, Hansome
Mann, Virginia Haile and Aborn Sar-
gent. Perhaps a ro an ic touch is
conveyed in Late Night Mann and
PIetteant Feelings.
exhaustive laboratory studies. The
clinical significance of our, obser-
vation, however, remains important
enough to justify more investigations
of this treatment."
The girl was found lying on the
porch of her horne with a fractured
• left forearm, in the middle of which
was a bleeding puncture wound. She
was immediately taken to the hos-
pital and sulfathiazole powder was
sprinkled on the wound which was
sterile dressed. Four days later gas
gangrene had developed to the point
where amputation was necessary but
there continued to be little improve-
ment. On the seventh day after the
accident penicillin treatment was
started and exactly one month after
the accident the girl was sent home.
. •
Plan to Deve op nlazon
A8 Communication Artery
• The mighty Amazon river valley,
now pouring a vast wealth of rub-
ber, quinine, fibers, woods, ranterals
and Other tropical products into the
united war (effort of the Allies, may
soon play another vine" role in the
development of the South American
republics.
Brazil,Venezuela Colombia,
p
Ecuador, Peru and Bolivia, the six
nations bordering on the huge river
and its tributaries, are taking con-
certed action to solve their mutual
problems and convert the Amason
into one of the great Pan-American
arteries of the future.
Use of the great inland waterway
as a h'nk between South America's
virtually unexplored and unknown
interior and the sea, and as a means
of bringing out inexhaustible natural
resources, has a precedent which
goes back' four centuries. More than
400 years ago, a century before the
Pilgrims landed in North America
and 264 years before Lewis and
Clark penetrated into the Pacific
Northwest, the Amazon served as
the route for the first tratscontinent-
al crossing of America when Fran-
cisco Orellanaled h' hardy
followers from this 'city to the At-
lantic and thence to their native
Spain.
Shorter than the Mississippi -Mis-
souri system or the Nile, the Ama-
zon is nevertheless the greatest riv-
er in the world in point of volume,
and with its tributaries forms the
largest river network on earth.
Along its surface ocean steamers
may soon beat their way 2,000 miles
into the heart of the continent, bring-
ing with them the products of civili-
ation and carrying out the rich
natural treasures of the region.
oung oo s etter
For Best Freezing
In choosing fruits and vegetable:
for freezing, pick varieties' which
• give a frozen' product of high qual-•
. ,
tty. Remember that tough mature
products are not desirable. 'Meats
and poultry should be young and ten-
• der. Slightly immature vegetables
are much better than those tvhich
are old and starchy.
Immediately after harvest, pre-
• pare vegetables and fruits for freez-
ing. If this cannot be done, store
•
in a refrigerator. Sort, clean and
wash vegetables and fruits in cold
running. water or ice water. Scald
vegetables for the proper period.
Make certain that the temperature
of the scalding medium (boiling
water or steam) is at least 210 de-
grees Fahrenheit. Chill vegetables
to 50 degrees Fahrenheit, using an
ample supply of cold running water
or water containing ice.
DraM and package immediately
in a moisture -vapor -proof package,
taking care to fill each completely.
Immediately place in the freezer or
—if this is not possible—in a refrig-
erator, then transfer to the freezer
without allowing the product to
warm up. When freezing allow am-
ple space in the freezer for air cir-
ciliation around each package. Store
at 0 degree Fahrenheit or below.
• Interceptors Aid in
Conserving Waste Grease
• The war with its tremendous need
for grease has focused attention on
the service performed by the thou-
sands of grease interceptors in be-
tels, restaurants, schools, hospitals, .
and other establishments whete
large quantities of food are served.
The use of an interceptor offers
the most convenient and effortless
When Buying Clothes, way to save the grease which is such
Buy Them Big Enough an essential raw material for the
When buying clothes, buy the
•
big enough, It's better to buy
Uses Old Engine to dress a size larger and have it a
Split Wood for Seasoning terAned_to fit trimly and comfortabl
Any article of clothing should
With an old gasoline engine re- loose from the waist up. It shou
built into a wood -splitting machine, fit comfortably, not plaster tight.
a Wisconsin farmer took the back- Clothes should not pull- against the
ache out of getting next winter's chest, the diaphragm, or the back.
wood Supply ready for seasoning. Money spent on expertly fitted
The state extension forester urged clothes is not wasted.
farmers throughout Wisconsin to Drooping hem lines, sagging
take a tip from the inventor who seams, pull across the middle, or
solved his winter wood -splitting job hanging off shoulder seams can't
by revamping an old three horse- make a well-groomed appearance.
power gasoline engine into a split- What about our skirt length?
ting machine. •Straight skirts should be longer be -
First he removed the cylinder cause without fullness they nature
head from his old engine. To form ly pull up when you sit down
manufacture f
o munitions antisep-
m tics and surgical dressings.
a Americans on an average use 56
1- pounds of grease and oil per person,
7. per year, in preparing food. An -
be other 28- pounds, per person, per
Id year, is used in the manufacture of
soap, cosmetics, and medicines.
From 10 to 15 per cent of this
total finds its way into the drain
lines and sewers. The use ed inter-
ceptors permits the saving of virtu-
ally all the grease that goes down
the drain because the best of mod-
ern grease interceptors are so ef-
ficient that they will trap and hold
about 93 per cent of the grease in
the draM veater. •
a wedge he welded two sheaths of then knees aren't pretty. Gored
truck spring onto the end of the pis- skirts can be shorter because of the
ton and bolted an extra large wheel extra fullness.
on one flywheel to which he applied Good posture along with well -fitted
a belt from- a one-half horsepower clothes can do a great deal to im-
electric motor. The motor, the old prove our looks.
engine, and a base -block 17'inches
from the front bf the cylinder was
securely bolted to a heavy plank, Keep Barn Dry
This was mounted on a light four-, Keep the dairy barn "dry behind
wheeled chassis so that it could be the eaves," suggests Prof. A. M.
easily moved about the farm yard. Goodman of the New York State col -
The blocks of wood are split as lege of agriculture,"in order to pro -
they rest against the base block at tect the health of the animals, and
one end. The wedge is forced into to prevent decay and rotting of the
each block by the forward motion of barn structure itself."
the piston from the power applied Every cow breathes out about five
by the motor. quarts of water every 24 hours, he
points out, and this water condenses
on the beams, ceilings, and even on
Water Buffalo the roof and in the hay overhead.
The water buffalo, says the Na- Ventilation through doors and win
tional Geographic society, is found dows does not carry off much of
in many regions of the world, but the water or else chills the cows.
only in India does it exist in the A real ventilation system is neces
truly wild state. It wanders through sary for most dairy barns.
the swamps and jungles at the foot Cost of new stable ceilings and
of the Himalayas, in the Ganges beams, and hay lost through mold -
Delta, in the Central Provinces, and ing, can be saved by a ventilation
to some extent It is found in the system, says Professor Goodman
ungles of western Assam. Ventilation also helps prevent rust -
Domesticated, it has proved to be ing of metal roofs and of nails that
a valuable "worker" in Italy, Tur- hold the roof tight.
key, hi the fertile valleys of the
Nile, and in the marshlands of Hun-
gary and Crimea. It is practically Take Up Space
indispensable hi the flooded rice Since only the seed of garden peas
fields of the Orient where horses or are used, the food yield is small
compared to the space they take.
mules are seldom used for agricul-
tural purposes. • They are a cool weather crop,
Millions of these animals are kept and do best hi sections where spring
in India for their milk and meat. acmes so early that there is time
Although slightly bluish, the milk for them to mature before ,hot
is exceptionally rich and high in but- weather arrives; or in the northern
terfat, tier of states where the summers
are relatively cool.
'Everywhere ' the first sowing elf
Infant Mortality peas should be made early as pos
Switzerland had the lowest rate of sible, having in mind that the finer
infant mortality in the world in 1942, varieties, which have wrinkled seed,
ccording to the Statistical Year- may decay if the soil remains cold
ook of the League of Nations for and damp too long after they are
1941.42. sown. Smooth seeded peas will not
decay so easily, but they are not of
Switzerland's rate was 38 per 1,000
in 1942, a decrease of 3 per 1,000 as high quality as the wrinkled
since 1941. Second were the Neth-
rlands, with a rate of 40 per 1,000, inds.
Where spring comes late, and
and the 'United States, also with a summer follows quickly, only one
rete of 40. Both countries showed crop of peas is likely to be success -
decreases since 1941. Rates of in- ful, and for this an early dwarf vari-
ety should be grown.
fent mortality in other countries for
he ene etine order. It was the • •
Distance and size ot objects also product of a -single Benedictizie ab- a
are judged' dy referr)n tooth- bey, • F m•
er objects. The size uf the moon, France, and was never made at
g them eca le near Le Havre,
for example, seems larger when Monte Cassino, Its history is ro-
' near the horizon than when over- mantic. In 1510 a monk who dab -
head because it is seen corning over bled in chemistry produced the
a house or tree, and appears large refreshing cordial. The monks
in reference to such familiar ob- named it after the order, "Beeedic-
jects. Optical illusions arise chiefly tine, D.O.M.(Deo Optima) Maximo
from guide. lines and angles that. tr!011. —to God, most good, most great).
far- the eye m its Juelguients. Although a commercial product
today, it‘ keeps its old name. The
alcoholic content is 52 per cent. The
• Manganese Steel present distillery biiildings occt1py
While the effect of hydrogen !s the grounds of the old abbey of
aggerated in Most steels containing
tain special man an t
show it. This is attributed to a dif- When crude tomato seed oil is re-
.
e use o capstic soda,'
t ,e .lattice mantes up .ne bleached ecolorize , the oil Is
metal eiyetals-, In general, Where 'entirely 'suitable for eclibleTurpOses:
they have the arrangement known . In, Italy the crude oil is used for
as "face centeredt" more hydrogen soap making, the press being used
• is dissolved than in the alternative for stock feed or fertilizer.' Johns
• "body ceeteed" lattice. In, body and Gersdoff state that such press
centered lattice, the atoms are ar- cake contains 37 per cent protein.
ranged in cubes, one at each corner Rebak and 'Shradee, early listed
an one at the en er. The center severalMethods for teparatin the
• atom of each cube forms a corner of seeds froth skind'and other residue,
• adjacent cubes, and so they inter- one being by suspending the waste
, lock.. The face centered arrange- in several volumes of water and age-
• rnent on the other hand has an t , t ,t' ; heSkiXis, ' lighter, ave
an the center of each face of the a tendency to float while the seeds
viabe,, and, there is no interkicking. and cores sink. '
evident in ordinary steel, it is ex- , fecarnp.
Manganese. On the 'other Hand, cer•-
Sun's Rays
Rays of sunshine Which reach our
eyes -sing -ere in „curves, because of
the refrabtaVe effect of th'e /Amos-
'Phere. Since the air becomes denser
towards the earth, its refractive in-
dex grows and the curvature of a
' elf 'light increases US it moves
downward through the atmosphere.
Curvature of light rays in the at-
• mosphere sometimes makes it pos-
sible to "see ardtind corners." For
example, because of atmospheric re-
fraction, during an 'eelipse of the
moon sometimes both ,the sun and
the hbriziin at the Saine:tirriel
.• ealiti6ed. Moon etie' sen l'abeat
fereht, arrangement of'the moleculesfined byth
Dominican Republic
Soil of the Dominican Republic is
very fertile. Abbut One-fifth of the
land is cultivated, the rest is forest-
ed, chiefly with pine and mahogany.
Gr6Whig and processing stager cane
is the biggest industry., Cocoa is
second in export value. Output has
been Increased tenfold since 1900.
Other important exports are coffee,
leaf tobacco, corn, and molasses,
Side by aide on the same acreage
cacao trees grow with corn. Bana•
nas, coffee trees, and guava bushes
thrive on, ,the eame., ground. Rice
growing for home use is fostered
1942 were Onion of South Africa, 48;
United Kingdom, 52; Canada, 54; •
Germany, 68; France, 70; BellitunGreatest Bard -Ore Mass
78; Argentine, 84; Italy, 108; But: Described as "the greatest known
garia, 127; Portugal, 132; Cyprus, aard-ore mass, and eau to equip,
185; and Chile, 195. levelop and mine," the 'Cave Peak,
'3ratil, area contains an estimated
t5 billion tons of ore. suitable for
Healthy South
•
nigh grade steel. Beginning this year
There are now 3,000,000 more end continuing for three years, an-
outherners living in other sections
S mal production of lee million tons
than there are' natives nf other eec- if ore' will be divided between the
tions living in the South. This elan Inited States and Great 13ritain.
gration is more likely to increase than The peak is located in the center
to diminish, for the South ,is More
rolific, and at the same time health- if Minas Geraes and rises 4,500 feet
if the iron region of the province
re
vi
rta,1Thstaantistthices n
tria
t
ei
ao
n
fial
atilvthernagg.e' if.
be werburden of earth, and open pit
tbove sea level. The peak has no
19
the Confederacy had a birth rate 14
40, the 11 States that comptised flitting, with drilling and blasting,
Nell begin near the top. Two large
per cent higher than the average for :lectric shovels, powered by General,
illectric drives, will load the ore
p
the 'nation, and in the sense year, a
death rateabout4% n oWer, °t°
le
than the average.' Southerners live luarters of a •aule down a fairly
trucks which will carry it three -'
and natiltiply.. ,• rceep road to the proceesine ;Ant.
Solomons' Snakes
The snakes of the Solomons are
few. There are burrowing blind
snakes with the eyes concealed be-
neath the scales. Small boas that
reach a length of about three feet,
with strongly prehensile tails, are
remote relatives of the American
boa constrictors. A green tree
snake and a black and yellow tree
snake are widespread in the New
Guinea region. All these snakes are
quite harmless. There are three
kinds of land snakes that are un-
doubtedly poisonous, related by their
fixed fangs to the front -fanged
snakes of Australia. There is no
record of any human being having
been bitten by these snakes, and
none of them are aggressive crea-
tures. In such densely forested
areas as the Solomons, snakes are
usually found only by accident, or
perhaps in jungle -clearing opera-
tions like the preparation of an air-
field. The sea snakes that come
ashore to lay their eggs in the rock
crevices at high tide level are dead-
ly poisonous, but they are never
known to bite anything 'except the
eels on which they prey. Even if
roughly handled by fishermen, then
do not bite at all.
Coannon Weed, Fleabaaoi,
•
and along roadsides. It is widely die,
e M *Ti 1 Value
•
s a
Erigeron cananclensis, known also
as fleabane, horseweed or butter -
weed. is a common weed, growing
abundantly in fields, waste places
tributed in the Old World, in South
America, Canada and the northern
and central sections of the United
States. The size 'of this annual dee
• pends upon the kind of soil on which
it sprouts; it varies from a few
inches to several feet. From June to
November the weed produces nu-
merous heads of small, inconspicu-
ous, white flowers, followed by an
abundance of seed. Because of their
pronounced aroma, the. plants may
become very troublesome on Pp-
perrnint plantations, imparting to he
distilled peppermint an objection
able by -odor. Certain medicine"
properties which oil of erigeron is
supposed to possess have led to it
application in pharmaceutical prep-
arations.
The producing regions are located:
in northern Indiana and southern
Michigan, with South Bend as the
principal marketing center of the
oi early consumption of the oil
ranges from 1,000 to 2,000 pounds.
The plants are not cultivated; they
invade abandoned cornfields, and
grow prolifically. Harvesting takes
place during the flowering period in
the latter part of July. The plants are
simply mowed down with a wheat
binder, allowed to dry for 24 hours,
loaded on wagons or trucks and
hauled to the distilleries.
These are the same field distills
eries which process peppermint,
spearmint, wormwood, or tansy.
Live steam generated in a separate •
steam boiler is blown through the •
herb material, -and the oil is collect-
ed in a Florentine flask, The charge -
per still consists of about 2,500
pounds of dried plants which yield
from 8 to 10 pounds of oil. Several
acres are required to make up one
charge of herbs. Since the plants
are naturally quite dry, distillation
proceeds quickly, only 40 minutes.
being required to complete exhaus-
tion of each batch,
Fig Tree a Parasite;
Grows on Other's Limbs
As city dwellers fig trees serve as
ornamental shade trees. Left in
their wild state, they become
gnarled giants. Their bases are fre-
quently used by the settlers as shel-
ters for their animals. Almost all
these trees, especially those of the-
.
scrub lands, begiriD their lives as
• Heavy Fleece
Ewes with heavy fleece produce
just as good lambs as those with
light fleece, and will add about $2.70
to the grower's revenue, says J. F.
Wilson, professor of animal hus-
bandry on the Davis campus of the
University of California. Because
wool is considered of secondary im-
portance in the production of fat
lambs, sheepmen tend to pay no at-
tention to the fleece grown by the
mothers.
Disproving the theory that a
heavy -fleeced ewe cannot raise a
heavy lamb, Professor Wilson cites
experiments which showed that
Rambouillet ewes with'fleece
weights of 13 and 14 pounds raised
just as heavy lambs as others under.
the same conditions whose fleece
weights were but seven or eight
pounds. With wool selling at 45
cents, this added profit, which is pro-
duced without any extra %cost, makes
a considerable increase in the total
revel -Me from a band of sheep.
Farm Income
parasites, says the National Geo-
graphic society.
A tiny seed dropped into a shel-
tered arm of another tree by a bird
may germinate and send down long,
rope -like roots to the ground. Wrap-
ping its aerial roots firmly around
the trunk of the tree, this uninvited
"guest" grows into a tree by snuff-
ing out the life of its host.
The fig tree has often been called
"strangler." A Florida legend leap
it that skeletons of humans caught
and strangled in the death grip of
the tree have been found dangteg
from the root "ropes."
Cooking Odors
When the house reeks of unpleaer-
ant cooking odors, it's usually due
to overcooking or cooking at too high
temperature.
Strong- flavored vegetables — the
onion, the turnip, and members ofr
the cabbage family—give off very lin
tle odor if cooked until just tender,
not soft and mushy. Boiling for a
half hour or so breaks down the -
sulphides they contain, causing a
strong flavor and odor, a dark color
and loss of food value.
When these vegetables are young
and "new," they give off little or
no odor even if cooked with very
little water. When older and strong-
er, odors can be avoided generally'
by using a larger amount of wa-
ter, leaving the lid off the kettle and
cooking only long enough to mak
them tender.
Novel Lizards
Novel to most Americans are the
-soft-skinned and big -eyed geckos in',
the Solomons. These are lizards,
that come out at night, and they are
remarkable for their loud voices,
There are several kinds in the Solo-
mons—small ones only two inches.
long, medium sized gray ones, and a
brown species with a bright yellow.
line down the back, large for aL
gecko, as it reaches a length of a.
foot. The natives are apt to be much:,
afraid of geckos, apparently on ac-
count of the disagreeable feel of thee
clinging pads on their feet, but alit
geckos are entirely harmless. Many
inhabit houses and come out at night.
from the thatch, or from behind pie-
ture frames (if there are picture.
frames) to hunt their insect prey;
on the walls and ceilings.
The cash farm income from the
sale of cattle, calves, hogs, sheep and
lambs was $5,960,000,000 last year.
This sum represented 30 per cent
of the total cash farm income of
$19,678,000,000 obtained from 12 ma-
jor farm crops, and was an increase
of $1,086,000,000, or 22 per cent over
the preceding year, and $1,765,000,-
000, or 172 per cent greater than the
1935-39 five-year average, according
to an analysis of department of ag-
riculture figures by the American
Meatinstitute.institute.department of agriculture
figures, it is estimated that approx-
imately 17,027,000 cattle, 10,309,000
calves, 90,031,000 hogs, and 26,4(13,-
000 sheep and lambs from about
5,000,000 farms and ranches were
dressed last year,
School Services
Lunchroom service was expanded'
in 37 per cent of 1,401 school sys-
tems surveyed since 1920, of which
three-fourths were city and one-
fourth county; guidance service im,
creased to 34 per cent; vocatioqal,
education to 31 per cent; and pupil
transportation to 19 per cent. Twera
ty-seven per cent increased provi-
sion or adult education, whila.
nursery schools increased in 11.6 per
cent and kindergartens in 6 per cent
of the total system. Two-thirds of
the schools increased emphasisa,
tfilornst. aipdre,iusag i
training was introduced in 71. per
;311
tyscleznaccle,pmhyastilicearfil eadtiuccsa'
cent of city schools, and inb 46.6
l
per cen o county systems,