The Montgomery advertiser. [volume] (Montgomery, Ala.) 1885-1982, 1902-07-16

those great kaleidoscope machines that
throw large moving pictures on screens
so now everybody can see plant grow
from a seed to mighty shrub. Only
instead Of having to watch II for months
and years. we can all see II within few
minutes for thu machine throws the PIC
lures on. the screen just as fast as one
may wish.
1 This already has taught farmers and
norists many wonderful things abou'
plants that never had been suspected pc
fore. although so many hundreds OF tnous,
ands OF sharp-eyed persons have wafsaeo
plants grow for so many centuries.
A few years ago the United States Gov
ernment imported the beautiful and val
liable date palm, hoping to make 1t grow
ir the sandy and dry parts Of Arizona and
United States where other domestic
plants do not thrive. The date palms did
fairly well. but not well enough to please
the Department of Agriculture. so II sent
across thc trackless desert Of Sahara to
there.
He, discovered many curious things
Among other facts that he found was
that The Sahara really Is not a sandy
desert at all. It Is a desert, sure enough
but only because 1t has no water. Its sol,
instead of being sand, Is actually the
lying idle as it has done for so many
thousands of years 1t has grown very
rich indeed And II ever the French OF
the English carry out the old plan OF
leading water Into It the great desert OF
Sahara will become one Of the worlds
most fertile places.
He also found gorgeous evergreen
morning glory twining all over the houses
OF Arabs. And then he found the beau-
tiful oasis, and when he returned 1t waa
with many cameis. all laden with me
date palms. And these are growing finely
now In our country. That was real
Arabian Nights play trip that has been
worth lots and lots of money to the
country.
Some charming toys are those that ev-
erybody may see in the many weather o5-
serving stations of the Government. Tn ere
are busy little windmills. turning like any
thing, and funny little round disks on
arms that dance all the time, and queer
SPIRAL glass tubes that move lead PEN
ellis over charts. A weather Observatory
would be the very place of all that any
child would select If it could have rs
way for playroom. There are so many
funny Instruments, and scores on scores
of dueer.colored fags. and little gaudy-
colored lanterns, that ones heart Quite
nils with desire to play with them;
turn and dance, those tempting toys may
be telling Sof a terrible storm that Is
killing folk and blowing houses down far
away. The little flags and lanterns. wnen
hcisted. may seem anything but merry
toys to the sailor offshore who sees them
through his glass, or to the lonely voyager
over open country roads. For some OF
them spell hurricane and others talf OF
them spell hurricane and others talk OF
cyclones and wan all human kind to
stay snug in shelter.
There was a lelrnsd old man in Woods
Hole In Massachusetts, the other day, who
had great Gun with starfish In little sau-
GERS anSF bright flashing glass tanks.
Woods Hole Ia the place where the United
States government studies fish. The man
went out and caught a lot of the beau
tiful, gaudy things that are called star
fish because they look so much like stars.
Children who have seen them and played
with them and admired them will md 1t
hard to relieve that they are really first
cousins to the terrible and foathsome
devil fish and octopus. as they are.
This man played lots of enjoyable
games with the stars He put some of
them into shallow vessels and found that
they had queer habits. Fer instance. a
starfish would try to crawl over the side
of the dish, but as soon as he found that
he would have to lift his arms out OF
the water to do 1t he would slide right
back. But IL he could get just enough
water to keep his arms covered, he would
crawl away rapidly. quite regardless OF
the fact that all the rest OF his body was
sticking high and dry.
The man also got many eggs of tho
star and put them into tiny trays full OF
salt water and Matched them out. Glori-
OuSiy DcdullLui IltfC NHcy WIZ
purple and crimson and scarlet and yell
low, each one as tiny as pinhead, yet
each one a perfect five-armed star. And
as soon as each was Matched 1t would
hurtle right to the bottom and set on
a piece Of green weed, where 1t shone
like flashing gem.
Now this was truly pleasant play. But
II was profitable, too. For the starfish Is
a terrible enemy of the oyster and the
clam. He will seize the luckless shellf1sh
with his arms and fold his stomach en-
tirely around the moliusc. Then he VIII
lie still, just keeping up a steady pull
with his arms until the poor oyster or
clam is entirely tired out and opens its
shell, when the starfish. swallows II at
once. Small wonder is II that the she'll
fish cannot keep its shell closed when
the starflsh tackles it. A man in Woods
Hole let a little star no bigger than a
dollar tackle his fingers, and he found it
could pull much harder than even he
could Withstand with all the strength of
his arm.
Well the starfish used to eat so many
oysters and CLAIMS that the fishermen Of
Connecticut alone lost more than 500. 900.
The PLAYING of the man in Woods Hole
has taught the Government new ways of
fighting the stars. and 1t is now sending
the Information to all the fishermen and
shellfsh planters
So all the playing means vast sums Of
money saved or earned in various ways.
j. w. M.
The Campanile.