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HomeMy WebLinkAboutThe Seaforth News, 1955-10-13, Page 2FABLE TALKS 0Y dam Writing a column such as this, which runs in a large number of papers circulated over a vast area, has its problems. If I pub- lish recipes calling for a refrig- erator, letters are sure to come In saying — in effect — "all very fine but where do you get the refrigerator.' On the other hand, recipes calling for plenty of room, plenty of eggs and butter, and plenty of mouths to do the eat- ing, elicit the query of how to use them in a two room flat. *. * So today you urban folks with all the conveniences needn't read any further, be- cause the next few paragraphs describe how to make a practi- cal basement vegetable room. And if you should want detailed plans for its construction they may be had free — by writ- ing to the Dominion Experi- mental Farn1, Swift Current, Sask. Information on temperatures and general conditions for stor- ing vegetables, jams, jellies and fruits are available in bulletins and pamphlet form, But fre- quently the problem remams of providing the recommended conditions for proper storage. This is especially true in the average household basement. Too often the temperature is much too high and the condi- tions genearlly much too dry, a * 0 To provide the proper storage conditions it is often necessary to build a special insulated and ventilated storage room in one corner of the basement. Insula- tion of the walls and ceiling of this room is necessary for the proper control of temperature. In planning the location it is best to include a basement win- dow. If one of the panes of glass is removed, the opening can be used as an outlet ventillatar. A sheet of plywood in which is cut a four inch square opening can be used to replace the win - COZY — Mrs. Lorna Hodgson gets a real bear hug, but she's not afraid. For the Alaskan bear is stuffed, mounted and a gift to Peabody museum. Mrs. Hodgson, executive sec- retary of the museum, shows the comparative size of the eight -foot, 10 -inch bear, which, when alive, weighed an esti- mated 1000 pounds. It was killed on Unimak Island in the Aleutians. dow pane, This should be pro- vided with a slide control on the inside. e 0 * An ideal location for the in- take ventilator is at basement floor level, This involves cut- ting a hole through the base- ment wall. The intake shaft should lead down the outside of the basement wall and enter the storage room at floor level. This type of intake insures that the air entering the room will be cooled by passing through sev- eral feet of soil before entering the room. It is not always pos- sible to provide this type of in- take. A less satisfactory, but nevertheler-0 serviceable intake, can be provided by making use of an additional pane of the basement window. In this case the shaft should enter the base- ment window and then turn downwards at 90 degress and be extended almost to floor _level. It is essentialthat this shaft, which is wholly within the storage room, should be in- sulated if it is to function prop- erly as an intake. Insulation can be provided by boxing the shaft in with three-quarter inch in- sulation board, Here again a slide control is necessary at the bottom of the shaft. 04 In addition to the insulation of both walls and ceiling of the storage room, better results will be attained if an insulated door is used. This can be made by using two sheets of five -six- teenths inch plywood nailed to a frame. Insulation batts can be used to insulate this door. Another method of making the door is to nail three-quarters inch insulation board to a one- half or three-quarters inch ply- wood panel. The necessary stor- age bins and shelves can be built around the walls. a s, * The storage room described above can provide reasonably cool temperatures even in hot weather, provided it is on the north or north-east corner of the basement. In many cases it will still be necessary in addition to provide such storage aids as ver- miculite, peat moss or fine sand. These can be kept slightly dampened to prevent vegetables from drying up and shrivelling. A further suggestion is that vegetables can be thoroughly washed and placed in the mod- ern plastic bags which are read- ily available today, The use of glazed crocks for the same pur- pose is also very satisfactory. T0 * Now, to windup, here's a highly recommended way of making your own tomato juice. If it reaches you too late to be of use in 1955 — well, in spite of al] the prophets of doom — another year should be coming this way before long. So clip it out and save it for the 1956 tomato crop. * * * TOMATO JUICE 1 bushel tomatoes 1 large bunch celery 4 large onions 8 bay leaves 2 cloves garlic cup sugar 'i cup salt 1 teaspoon Tabasco sauce Boil celery and onions in wa- ter to cover until tender, Wash and quarter tomatoes, but do not peel; add celery -onion mix- ture. Add bay leaves, garlic, sugar. and salt; boil until tender. Run through a sieve. Add 1 tea- spoon Tabasco sauce and bring to boil. Pour at once into steri- lized jars. SAFETY OUTLOOK BRIGHTENS—These pictures of the same traf- fic island, taken in daylight and at night, illustrate the effec- tiveness of a new reflective liquid. intended for use on traffic obstructions, it is said to. be -about 50 times brighter than white paint. The liquid is supposed to be easy to apply on any porous surface with a brush or conventional spray equip- ment. It will last one year, manufacturers claim, depending upon surface and weather conditions. Fashion Hints NOT DESIGNED FOR SPEED: Members of the Association of Canadian Couturiers are constantly proving that a little ingen- uity goes a long wayl Here, two of the group, Germaine and Rene, have chosen a Partisan drapery fabric to fashion this voluminous ballgown. As Venus and Mars Look To'.'- " Earth Earth is ' . i of all the planets, on., .,s approaching it in this respect. But Venus has no satellite, and the Earth - Moon system forms a double world of a type found nowhere else among the planets. Its mode of formation is a mystery still, but it is known that when Earth was molten the Moon cir- cled at only a fraction of its present distance, and raised gi- gantic tides in the plastic sub- stance of its companion. As a result of these internal tides, the crust of the Earth is rich in heavy metals—far richer than that Of any other of the planets: They hoard their wealth far down within their unreach- able cores, protected by pres- sures and temperatures that guard them from man's depre- dations. So as human civiliza- tion spread outward from Earth, the drain on the mother world's dwindling resources steadily increased. The light elements existed on the other planets in unlimited amounts, but such essential me- tals as mercury, lead, uranium, platinum, thorium and tungsten were almost unobtainable. For many no substitutes existed; their large-scale synthesis was impractical, . . . modern tech= nology could not survive with- out them. It was an unfortunate situa- tion, and a very galling one .for the independent republics on Mars, Venus and the larger sat- ellites, which had now united to form the Federation, It kept them dependent upon Earth, and prevented their expansion toward the frontiers of the so- lar system. Though they had searched among the asteroids and moons, among the rubble left over when the worlds were formed, they had found little but worthless rock and ice. They must go cap in hand ' to the mother planet for almost every gram of a dozen metals that were more precious than gold. - -From "Earthlight," by Arthur C. Clarke. More School Bags Output of leather school bags increased to 341,581 in 1953 from 288,379, and factory value rose to $643.671 from $493,925. How Can I? Q. How should corduroys be washed? A. Wash them carefully, then rinse until the water is clear. Do not squeeze out the water at last rinsing, but throw the garment over the line in a shady place while dripping wet. This keeps the material soft and fluffy. Q. How can 1 make a good Liquid floor wax? A. By shaving 1,4 pound of beeswax into a pan containing ?z pint of turpentine. Rub vigorously into the floor and polish with a dry woolen pad. Q. How San I keep the skins of baked apples from breaking? A. When baking apples, prick the skins with a fork and they will not burst. Q. How can I make a cleaner for nickel? A. Use equal parts of liquid ammonia and alcohol and stir in whiting to the consistency of a paste. Apply with a soft cloth and leave covered until the cream dries. When dry, polish with a clean cloth. Q. What is the best way of dampening clothes before Iron- ing? A, The longer the clothes lay damp before ironing, the better is the result. Sprinkle starched clothes with hot water, half an hour before ironing. Q. How can I clean velvet flowers? - A. By using dry bran. Rub on the soiled parts, then brush off. Repeat if necessary. Q. How can I make a good remedy for softening hands? A. By moistening a little In- dian meal with lemon juice and then rubbing the hands thor- oughly. Wash the hands with hot water and before dry, bathe them with a glycerine lotion. Q. How can 1 make attractive covers for potted plants? A. They can be made by cut- ting: covers for the pots from I eft -over wall paper, to match the walls. Fasten together with pins and change when soiled. Q, How can I remove rust spots that have accumulated on the stave during the summer mantas? A. They cin be removed by rubbing l+:rte'd oil on them. If the State are Obs1i"" , ,and- r:per them. Is Space Travel On Your D erstep? A few years ago space travel was considered to be little more than a good subject for fiction - writers, Not many serious people could be found who regarded it as a real possibility. Now the picture has changed: Heinz Haber, a leading' space travel authority, has written re- cently: "To -day we have reach- ed a point where we can look forward to an early realisation of space flight," Why has there been this change of outlook? Much of the credit must go to the Germans who developed rocket missiles during the last war. In a few short — and grim — years they showed the possibilities of rocket propulsion. The Americans went an from there, and have de- spatched since a rocket 250 miles up into the atmosphere at a speed of 5,000 m.p.h. This achievement especially whetted the world's appetite for more information. The result is that to -day scientific writers— Arthur Clarke, von Braun, and Willy Ley among others — are becoming as familiar as the men who once wrote on aviation be- fore that, too, was regarded as a reasonable possibility. Alongside these developments, the astronomers have been pro- viding us with more and more information. The astronomer occupies a privileged place in these specu- lative days of space travel. He is the man who alone can give potential space voyagers some idea of what will be found when their rockets soar out and away beyond the Earth's atmosphere into the limitless expanses of the Universe. Much of this information in- evitably is little more than cal- culated guesswork, since it is based on observation alone. The astronomer now waits for the rocketeer of the future to bring hint back confirmation of his present-day theories. Among the astronomers, the name of Fred Hoyle is probably the most widely known by the many people. Hoyle will be remembered as the man who gave a startling series of broadcasts some years ago entitled "The Nature of the Universe," They struck a chord Of interest throughout Great Britain and overseas. Now comes his latest book, "Frontiers of Astronomy. In it he gives some idea Of the im- mense scope awaiting explora- tion of rocket pioneers. Consider first our more imme- diate neighbours. Around our Sun revolve nine planets: Mer- cury, Venus, Earth, Mars, Jupi- ter. Saturn, Uranus, Neptune, Pluto. Together they make up what is known as the Solar planetary system. Of these, Earth apart, only Mars seems likely from present observations to have life of some sort on its surface. .Although no animal life can be ascertained, most astronomers agree that plant Iife exists there, and that, in appearance, many parts of Mars would be much like Earth. Revolving around six of these nine planets are statellites. in the case of Earth there is just one, the Moon. Jupiter has twelve such moons and Saturn nine. ' What lies beyond this, our planetary system? Fred Hoyle states that, in his belief, there are 100,000 million similar sys- tems in the Universe. This colos- sal figure takes no account of the systems that must exist beyond the range of our most powerful telescopes. What are the chances of life in these other planetary sys- tems? "Living creatures must be rather common in the Universe," comments Hoyle. He disagrees: with the theory that life on Earth is all a fabu- lous accident. The formation of our planetary system around the Sun was due to a series of natu- ral and explainable events. "Nor," he says, "do the compo- sitions of the planets seem in the least to be a matter of chance. Rather do 1 think it would be somewhat surprising if anything very different had occurred in any of the other planetary systems." Since those other 100,000 mil- lion planetary systems were formed in much the sante way and under similar conditions as our own Solar system there must, logically, be life as we know it in the Universe other than on Earth. Can this theory ever be con- firmed? Space travel seems to be a certainty of the future. Men will cruise in space around our own Solar system. But, On pre- sent calculations, it seems im- probable that they will ever meet there living creatures such as themselves. If, however, racketeers could venture into others of those 100,- 000 million planetary systems, the chances .of finding men 'in a familiar human form are high indeed. The inevitable stumbling block is a man's awn life span. it has been estimated that, with exist- ing or potential forms of fuel and power, the journey to the Moon will occupy five days. Venus, a distance of 26 million miles from Earth, could be reached in about 150 clays. But contemplation of farther distances fades into dreams. The nearest planetary systemp to our own is called Proxima Centauri. It has been estimated that` to reach it would require a journey lasting 70,000 years. (One writer's estimate is 130,000 years.) The question, then. is unan- swerable. No man would ever want to live that long. And the fiction writers can proceed, se- cure in the knowledge that they can never be disproved, if not in a million years, in at least 70,000. POP-EYED—No, that's not what gives Sandy Pendrey such a peculiar look, The photogra- pher just managed to capture the reflection of a beach um- brella mbrella on her sunglasses. SWINE SHOW ERROR HOG-TIES JUDGES—Faces of the judges and fair officials at the Putnam County Fair were somewhat red when this picture of them was snapped, It happened at the swine show. The call went out for produce of dam in the Spotted Poland China class. Several exhibitors entered the ring with their animals. As judging was about to begin, Wil- lis Bradford walked in with an armful of 11 -day-old piglets, set them down and waited for the judges to declare him the winner. Spectators laughed and the judges looked concerned, When they questioned Bradford's right to bring in the little pigs, he told them to look in the rule book. They looked at the rule for produce of dam and found someone had erroneously added a date providing that animals entered in that class must have been farrowed "on or after Aug. 1, 1955." So techni- cally, Bradford's piglets were the only ones 'eligible for the class. Amid laughter, Bradford removed lois animals and judging proceeded on 'Intent" not the "letter" of the law;,