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The Seaforth News, 1952-03-06, Page 3Human Babies That Animals Adopted One morning in 1920 n native missionary of Miduapore, India, was asked by his neighbours to rid them of a "man -ghost" who in- habited a near -by ant -hill, Although ,frankly sceptical of their stories, he agreed to accom- pany them on a party to watch over the ant -hill. At nightfall the party saw three full-grown wolves emerge from a tunnel into the hill, closely followed by two strange - looking creatures which looked very much like human beings. The following day the cave was excavated, and huddled together inside were two children, both girls. The missionary tools them to his home, where he and his wife tried to restore them to the ways of civil- ization. ICamala and Amala, as he chris- tened them, slowly responded.. But M some ways they remained com- pletely savage. They would not eat vegetable foods ,they were incapable of standing erect, and .they showed an intense dislike of human company, seeking instead the society of dogs and goats. They were both making gradual progress when, eleven months after cornig to the mis- sion, Amala died, and her sister showed her first sign of human emotion by weeping. Slowly Kamala learned to walk and developed a small vocabulary of about forty words. In the years that followed her sister's death she appeared to be developing into a lovable and obe- dient child. But she never completely recov- ered from her loss, and at the age of fourteen she, too, died. The story of the wolf -girls prov- ed beyond doubt that certain ani- mals will adopt human children and rear them like their own offspring, and many people began to review previous stories of similar cases that had been dismissed as fiction. Tigers and leopards have both been reputed to act as foster -par- ents, but the best mothers in the animal kingdom seem to be ba- boons. There are at least three cases of human children being brought up by these animals, and of these the best authenticated is the story of the baboon -boy discovered in a wild region of South Africa. He was found among a group of apes by two officers of the Cape Mounted Police, chattering and jumping about on all fours. They took him to the Mental Hospital in Grahamstown, where doctors said he was harmless but mischievous. He knew no human speech, and refused all food except raw corn and cactus. Later he was adopted by a farm- er, and turned out to be a useful labourer. But although he lived to be nearly fifty, he still had to be called anew to each routine task. All through life he retained cer- tain mannerisms and a frightened grin that spoke clearly of his early association with the apes. Freshen Up That Old Wallpaper Dingy Dust There are many wallpaper clean- ers on the market, but you have one of the hest in your own bread box. You can buy an inexpensive putty especially made for cleaning wallpaper. Or you can work a fair- sized mass of crustless bread in your hands until it is warm and pliable. Then rub the paper with it from top to bottom, always in the same direction. Grease and Oil Spots These spots, if fairly fresh, can be removed by holding a piece of clean blotting paper against the spot with a warns iron. "Rayon" temperature is safest, but turn it down if the paper is old, as heat darkens such paper. A stubborn spot responds to Ful- ler's earth mixed with enough ben. zinc or carbou tetachloride to form a thick paste. Apply a thin coat over the spot, let dry overnight, then brush off. Clay Flower Pots .. 'urn Deco Make Bright Color Accents for Every Room BY EDNA TIMES Ordinary Plain -Jane red clay flowerpots now can be turned into decorative spots of bright color in a few seconds. All you have to do is to dress theta up in some of the clever new jackets of vinylite plastic sheeting, made especially for the purpose. The jackets come in several shapes, some with two side handles like jugs, some in "teapot" shape, with handle and simulated spout. Some are one-piece affairs into which you just slide the flowerpot and stable wrap around the pot and close with decorative snap buttons. They conte in solid colors and patterns of yellow, red and blue, embossed in three-dimensional textures. The tear -resistant plastic is easy to clean and maintain because all it needs is a few swabs with a damp sponge. The material resists moisture from spilling while watering the plants, chemical action from dissolved plant foods and abrasion by gritty soil particles. The one-piece jackets have strong, heat -sealed seams. They come in sizes to accommo- date 3. 31/2, 4 and 41/2-ineh flowerpots. tive n ight, P is Jackets This blue wrap-around Jaeke fastens with snap buttons. Onc-pleoe jacket in checks simulates a decorative bowi, wipe of a damp sponge (left) deans the jackets. The one at right has a "teapot" shape. Ink Spots Ink eradicator is your only re- sort for ink spots, but it will prob ably take off any pattern in your wallpaper as well. If the spot is small, it can be touched up with water colors—if large, a patch may be necessary. Loose Seams, Bulges, and Tears Stick down loose seams with dabs of library paste at strategic points, Use a clean blotter or wax- ed paper to protect other areas. Slit a bulge with a razor blade and work paste behind it with a knife tip or thin brush. Then stick down carefully. Torn paper and damage spots require patches. Patching Taking an extra piece of the same paper, match the pattern. Thep tear out a piece, larger than the damaged spot, tearing from the back so as to leave thin feathery edges, Do not cut with scissors as straight edges will show. Apply the pasted patch to the.wail, care- fully working it into pattern while the paste keeps paper pliable. If faded paper is to be patched, let patch first stand in strong sun- light until it matches. Protect New Wallpaper With a spray gun and the new wallpaper wax or lacquer, you can protect newly -papered walls from city grime and children's artistic efforts. When the instructions are carefully followed, a rubdown with a damp cloth is enough to keep your walls bright. TIWPA1M FRONT It's only natural for a boy, and especially a boy on a farm, to want a gun of some sort. But owning a firearm and knowing how to handle it, are not one and the same thing, as the almost -daily news- paper tale of accidents and fatalities clearly testifies. So I don't have to apologize for passing along some sound advice on the subject from a man who knows what he's talk- ing about. * a. * "Almost every youngster has an itch to handle firearms and to go shooting," says IC. N. Morris, exe- cutive director of the Canadiah Civilian Association of Marksmen, "and sooner or later the chances are that he will. When this happens, it is the responsibility of his par- ents to make sure he knows enough about guns to handle one safely. * * * "The only realistic safeguard against hunting accidents is proper training in the care and handling of firearms, Records maintained over 20 years by the Canadian Civil- ian Association of Marksmen and the National Rifle Association of America show that none of their members — currently more than 300,000 — has ever been responsible for a fatal hunting accident. * * * "When choosing their sou's first gun, parents unfamiliar with fire - 91' • HAROLD ARNETT arms should talk the matter over with someone who knows firearms and shooting, and whose judgment they respect, preferably a membed' of an organized shooting club or association. Shooters are a friendly lot. In almost every Canadian com- munity there arc marksmen who will gladly give a youngster sound advice and guidance. * * * "In return for understanding and co-operation in providing a safe, sensible outlet for a youngster's natural interest in firearms, parents will find their children gaining in the development of such character traits as self-reliance, carefulness, good sportsmanship and co-opera- tiveness, No other sport demands these more." While many of us are under the impression that resistance by flies .to DDT is a new trait developed by insects in the last few years, the fact is that resistance to pesti- cides dates back more than half a century, * * Strains resistant to certain insec- ticides have been observed in many insect species in different parts of the world since 1900, writes 3. A. Oakley, prominent entomologist. The San Jose scale developed a resistance to lime -sulphur The California Red scale and Black scale became immune to the lethal powers of hydrogen cyanide, the codling moth to lead arsenate and. the Gladiolus thrips to tartar - emetic, *- * * The first instance of house fly 'resistance to DDT occurred in Italy in 1946, two years after DDT was first introduced, Mr. Oakley states. Three years later the first authentic evidence of DDT resist- ant strains in Canada came as a result of tests in certain areas of Ontario and Quebec where control of flies could not be obtained with DDT. 146M31'ifcst AVE A 0054?... "'PAINED CJUMPAN26E,.4r,T* NAVg A 1.0010 Several explanations for this re- sistance are given by various re- search workers, One DDT resistant fly strain was observed to have thicker cuticle on the foot pad which niay have reduced the ab- sorption of DDT. Another strain of flies was found to be larger and more vigorous than normal flies due to a longer larval period. In several strains, resistance was as- sociated with the ability of the flies to convert DDT into less toxic substances. This explanation ap- pears to be the most advanced and a search is now underway to find an additive which will prevent flies from changing DDT. * * * Where DDT -resistant flies are present, other insecticides may be used. These include methoxychlor, lindane, chlordane and other chlor- inated hydrocarbons. * * * Though the modern refrigerator using electricity or other means of energy, is replacing the ice -box in many rural areas, ice can still be used to advantage when a source of supply is readily available. And it can be stored without providing an elaborate ice -house. * * * Any unoccupied corner of a shed will serve as a site for a rough - board enclosure. An enclosure ten feet square and eight feet high will hold enough ice to provide 50 pounds a day for 130 days, after allowing for a reasonable amount of wastage. The smaller the amount stored, the greater the proportion of wastage. * * * The bottom of the enclosure should be covered with about one foot of sawdust. If the soil beneath is impervious clay it will be better if there are a few inches of gravel below the sawdust. In putting in the ice the boards can be taken away from one side and be re- placed when the ice is in position, A space of one foot should be left between the stacked ice and the side boards and this should be filled with sawdust. The ice should also be covered with sawdust. * * * It is the sawdust that keeps the ice from melting, and the drier the ice the longer it will keep. Warns Hospitals About Gas Dangers The United States Bureau of Mines has a long history of •ex- perience with explosive gaseous mixtures. Most mine disasters have been traced to an accumulation of methane underground and an igniting electrical spark. Last week the bureau reported on a four- year study of hospital operating rooms. The point of the report was this, in the bureau's words: "There probably is no combina- tion of equipment and activity any- where more likely to produce dangerous charges of static electri- city than that found in tate anesthe- tizing areas of hospitals in the nation. "When conditions are favour- able, the static sparks become in- tense enough to ignite gases or vapors escaping into the room air —and anexplosion results. Many of the mixtures used for anesthesia are rich in oxygen and are easily ignited by static sparks of low energy." Risk of Explosion The study began in 1948 after a series of explosions in Eastern hospitals killed several patients. In an operating room the patient takes most of the risk of explosion (as he does the risk of the operation) because his lungs may be full of the exploding mixture. The bureau tested a total of sev- enty•eight operating rooms, twee* ty'two delivery rooms and sixtesta. study. These units were selecte4 as representative. ft was established that an owe ating table can collert charge at' 9,00 static volts if a sheet is t'a- niOVdd quickly front a rubber -cove ercd mattress. Nine thosand yoke would cause only a slight stinge but it could igulte an explosive mixture, the bureau reported. One person with rubber shoes, walking on a linoleum floor, devel- oped a potential of 1.500 voltsee again enough to set off an exploe sion. Hazards in Fabrics A doctor wearing a woolen sale can create a dangerous charge by rising from a stool covered with artificial leather. Synthetic fabrics nylon Or rayon'), Frequently used in nurses' uniforms, have a strong tendency. to "rnanufacture" static electricity, the bureau found. The bureau suggested that floors. shoes, covers and other materials used be such that static charges will be dissipated. Cotton gowns and uniforms avoid the danger of building up a charge. Simple ex- pedients, such as spreading w e t towels on the floor and touching them to the bases of operating tables and anesthesia machines:. were recommended to those work- ing orking in old operating rooms. NEW and USEFUL Too Outside from Inaide Wood -framed window has three panes opening out like awnings. You can wash both inside and out side from the inside. * +s Carpenter's Samaritan A device for starting nails into boards in difficult -to -reach places fits on the side of any standard claw hammer. Slots take anything from shingle -nails to spikes. e: * * Knife Holder Holder requires no hooks, slots or holes, is magnetized to hold knives or small tools, Maker claims blades and points stay sharp longer. Available from 8 -in. lengths up. • * * * Wise Vise Thick, pliable rubber rings mounted against knobs of new vise -handle -ends act as shock -ab• sorbers and protect against finger pinching, * {. 5 Kitchen Cat -up Tempered -steel knife is swivel' mounted to a sturdy cutting board for shredding vegetables and fruits. Knife can be reversed for using blunt side to crack lobsters. * * R. Short Permanent New kit can be used with both bobby pins and curlers, is said to considerably shorten itme for home permanents. Contains instruction book. u * * Magnetized Screw Driver Screw driver has magnetized shank, black tentite handle stores three alternate insert bits. "Pull" of shank's magnet not only holds inserted bit, but energizes it to hold screws in position for driving. the maker claims. All My Sons—Paul Kolenda, 59, of Detroit, heads up what is perhaps America's largest family busi- nese partnership. He is seen "falling out his platoon" of 10 sons with the took of their trade—home sanitation. None of Kolenda's partners draws a salary, but each shares equally in the proflts. Nine of the sons and a daughter-in-law occupy the family home. WP -9 A POGZ'r"Ai3LE "OFFICE" MAY EASILY BE MADE By f IV11?ING A 9Ui't"CASE iWi PIGEONHOLES WI'iTt CORRUGATED CARDBOARD OR. 714IN PLYWOOD, rru'/,„,