The Houston daily post. [volume] (Houston, Tex.) 1886-1903, 1901-05-05
The Posts \ a
y - Letter Boz.

N"esuohs that are OF general interest,", III
nam object Is to supply out-of-the-way
1acts and curious information. Question:
VI personal Interest only Will not be
answered. No business or personal ad-
dresses WIN be given. Questions as to tho
value. etc, OF old coins and stamps viii
nor be answered. All correspondence
should be addressed to The Letter Box.
care houston Post. Owing to the large
au,noer OF Questions received, answers can
aot always be given promptly
81 $; J.o How many gallons in a barrel
A. Crude petroleum is measured By bar.
| reis OF forty-two Winchester gallons: re-.
An'u petroleum. by barrels Of fifty gallons.
n. TO. How many cruisers ana bat.
| uesnips nave Japan and Russia?
=. russia has "a battleshps; japan hn,
Z; Russia has 90 armored cruisers. Ianon
a'so has es Russia has 20 unarmerca
cruisers, Japan has IL.
CO. Has any State leris,atsa sr,,ns,
uome study for school chlldrenY
a. rome study for school children hos
| been prohibited by the legislature OF can.
fornia To test the wisdom Of the pro.
nipitlon experiments were conducted In
three San Francisco schools. and In an
| cases the teachers were satisfied mar m.
work of the no.hcme.study classes ana
thelr percentages were equal or supcrIor n
thnt OF the classes in which home stnav
was Kept up. Improved health and i'm.
proved department were also noticed.
r. TO. What arc arr,cn,,,r,, -.
grazing lands worth In Cuba, porta Rico
ana the Isle of Plnesl Can nerfeet IN.
ne secured 70 these lands? What are Inc
r. IN lett Al.
| can secure the best or most comnIcfe
hilu rcliahle information on these potnfsy
~ Back numbers of the bulletins Of the
bureau Of American republics win give
you soma Information on these topics. and
correspondence with the office Of pubu.
cation through the gescrnmeat printing
oihce at Washington, should also give YOU
direct and useful sources OF information
Good titles to land can be secured. hur
care should he taken and investigations
shoud proccde purchase.
The trend Of energy is toward cuba
rather than toward Porto Rico. During the
month Of A.elst 100. there were Inn
.portod at eks|port Of Havana the follow.
ing live stock: Cattle, nse5; horses. l.oO;
mules and donkeys. 305; sheep 81: swine
1923, and other animals. None Of tho cat.
tie Imported were for breeding purposes.
or the importatlons Of cattle, 4iAt were
from Mexico and i5Ta from Venezuela.
the balance being from the Uuted states.
or the other animals $50 were from Mex.
i'o Both the sugar and tobacco indns-
tries are settling down to large ana
permanent production. New sugar ma
chlncry is at present In course of erection
III various parts Of the island.
~ % Where in California are tho
big trees and how big are they?
A. In "Plcturesque California" by
John Muir, one may read shat the famous
big tree, sequola ggantca. extends from
the well known Calavcras grove to the
head Of Deer creek, near the big bend OF
Kern river distance Of about 5000 to
5000 feet above the sea. From the Gala
vcras to the south fork OF the Kings river
It occurs only IN small. isolated groves
among the pines AID hrs. From
Kings river the belt extends across the
broad rugged basin Of the Kawcah and
Tule rivers 10 IT'S southern Mnlt on the
head OF Deer creek, Interrupted only by
decn, rocky canons, the width Of this por-
tlon Of the belt being from three to nearly
eight miles, and the length seventy miles
TO the southwark Of Kings river no tree
In the woods appears to he more firmly
established in accordance with climate ana
SOL. For many miles they occupy the
surface almost exclusively growing yigor.
ously over all kinds of ground, and on
narolncs aud avalanche dehitus coarse or
hne while multitude OF thrifty seed
lhgs ana sapllngs and midde-aecd trees
IRE growing up about the old giants ready
% take their places and maintain the race
II all It's grandeur. But, unfortunately.
lre and the AK are already busy on many
d the ntrc accessible portions OF the
belt, spreading sure destruction, and nn.
ess protective measures be speedily adopt
20 ana applied in a few decades all that
nay be left of the noblest OF trees will
DC few hacked and Scared monuments.
me grandest specimen that have meas.
irei Is stump about ninety feet high
when Is th!rty'lys feet eight inches in
llameTr, measured inside the bark aboya
he hulglng base.
o, R-Q. WIN you, please TO give me
census statistics on the sheen raising In
lnstry In the United States?
a. According to the census OF 1880 the
states which held the largest number or
heep were, In their order, iowa Illinois,
'hio and Missouri. The sheep were for
he most part kept on farms. The aggre-
'ate number on farms was about s., Upu.
100, the number ranging on the public do.
main was approximately 100000 ana
hose otherwise held numbered 100000,
making total of over 40 OO0, 600 On July
, 1900, the total aggregate number OF
heep In the United States was reported
0 the division of statistics Of the depart
lent Of agriculture to be nearly 420OO,00o
he States which then contained the
irgest holdings were In the order OF their
unlbers. New MEXICO and Montana, eacn
nth nearly 100000; Wyoming and ohio,
lch with nearly 100000, aud with hold
lgs Of over 100000 each In Idaho. Ore.
on, Texas. Utah, Colorado and California.
ey Mexico. although leading in the NUM-
er Of sheep possessed ranked only fourth
18th respect to money value. Montana,
he second State with regard to numbers,
mixed first as TO value, the fetal holding
to little over $1,000, 600. The
'ldings in Ohio aggregated about siu.-
1000, and New Mexico about sa50oooo;
RECON, Idaho, Utah, Colorado and Caiifer-
a each held over $1,000, 900 worth or
ieep. The total value of these sheen