Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1905-03-26
THE CITY Blg0VtRER
VISITS THE RADIUM FARM ON
THE FLATS.

|
briar pipe for a good, long walk There
was an earthly smell in the air, the sun
was warm and genial, and springy, and the
City Discoverer felt SO good all over his ro-
tund person that his mild blue eyes posi-
lively beamed behind his gold-rimmed spec
tacles. But the roads at the Virginia end
of the Long bridge were in frightful shape,
and the Discoverer was about to turn back
and start out all over again when he caught
sight of a sign cooked at an impertinent
angle on a post by the roadside. 1t read:
Experiment station-Departmen of Ag-
ricuIture."
The City Discoverer was gazing at the
sign, wiping his double chin with his Sum
day handkerchief and wondering what was
experimental with there, when a thin in
dividua1 with grave face and a straggly
mustache strolled toward him from a lit
tie frame building not far, from the sign
post, and inquired politely: us there any
thing l can. do for you. sir?
mo, thank you,' said the City Discoverer,
beaming the thin person, Il was just
out for my Sunday afternoon walk and
was wondering whata kind of a place this
The stranged inspected the ityDiscoverer
carefully. winding up with a stare at the
mild blue eyes behind the goid-rimmed
glasses. You are / ACT a newspaper re-
porter are your he inquired, in apparent
alarm. x-d
'oh, no." replied the City Discoverer, earn
estIy, mot at all I'm just out for my stroll.
! have such knack of finding out-of-th-
way places and learning SO many unusual
things that my friends call me the City
Discoverer'' He smiled efficiently. if a
bit embarrassed at his own garrulity. and
beamed on the thin person again. Some
times he added they call me Mr.. Pick
wick, but 1 never could find out why
Then come with me- said the stranger.
Il am the scientist in charge here, and
this is my Sunday on guard. 1t gets very
lonesome at times and 1 have that which
would be better for the drinking"
Did you say you were guarding some
thing?' the City Dfscoverer inquired, after
he had quenched his, thirst and started his
briar.
The scientist looked embarrassed for a
moment, then laid his finger on his lips
and glanced around fearfully. I'm guard
ing the radium,' he whispered cautiously.
1.-THE radium?" echoed the Discoverer, in a
bewildered voice.
Yes, answered the scientist, laying his
hand with an impressive gesture on the
DISCOVERIES arm. This is the Garden of
Freaks-the Radum Farm
But 1 thought began the Discoverer,
helplessly.
That is what everybody thinks. Its official
title is that of an experiment station, but
it will be known to history as the radium
farm. Here. for the. first time in the an
nails of science, radium has been used as
a fertilizer, and the results have been most
amazing. But l forgot, I am pledged to
secrecy Ii
You may be sure. said the Discoverer,
earnestly, hitching.->his chair forward a
trihe, that I would bot mention anything
you might say"
Well said the scientist, grudgingly. 81
will give you just a11sidea. in absolute con-
fdence. This experiment station is on the
flats and the flats care composed of silt
dredged from the bottom of the Potomac.
1t was expected that the soil would be very
rich, but when corn shot up to a height of
dozen feet, when potatoes grew to the
size of egg plants, and egg plants swelled
to the dimensions of water melons we
realized that nature was unfolding her
greatest secret before our eyes. The soil
portion of radium. We experimental. We
fortified the soil, but we fortified it as no
soil had ever been fertilized before. What
do you suppose we used?' -
I'm suref l can't imagine replied the
Discoverer, hitching his chair trIfie closer.
The scientist looked disappointed "Ra-
| dunn" he saidssimpressively, more radium.
l see a question in your face. 1T is easily
lars a pound. But it is everlasting and
it's wonderful, MISUNDERSTOOD eyer-active
rays are life-giving and life-creating. We
placed radium in tubes and buriedtthe tubes
in the ground. Then we planted
The Discoverer hitched his chair still
| nearer Then what happened?" he asked,
breathlessly.
Sir" said the scientist Il cannot bring
myself to tell you. You would think me
insane. But I leave you to infer. The Sc
crets of the magcanS of India who grow
fruit-bearing trees while you wait are Sc
crets no longer. Radium. The fairy tale
of Jack and the Bean Stalk is a fairy tale
no longer. Radium. Nature has been kind
to us-more than kind. But We have yet a
great deal to learn, and this coming sum-
mer will see the greatest discovery of any
non1t 10 hxa -nr1d
Compose yourself, said the scientist,
earnestly, as the Discoverer showed signs
of agitation, compose yourself and listen
We experimental. Iii a space of time so
short l fear to mention it We secured the
most amazing results. In point of Size
radshes became cucumbers, strawberries
became cabbages, potatoes became wash
tubs and cotton bolls became pillows. 1t
was astounding, amazing and awe-inspiring.
But that is not the most wonderful part.
One day my assistant took the tubes of
radium and fertiliZed a small plot of ground.
We were to plant the next day several
seeds which we had obtained from our
agents in Burma, of the quick-growing
oranganius orientalium, the plant of the
faquir's miracles. The night was sitting
hot; my assistant was enthusiastic. In or
der to be on the ground early to begin his
experiments; he pitched canvas tent on
the radium fortified plot. He was tired
and slept soundly. When he awoke he
thought he was going mad. He lay at the
upward forty feet Or more, and whose thick
foliage shielded him from the sun. On the
very top of the tree was something WHITE
his canvas tent. A seed had fallen from
his pocket as he slept. Radium had done
the rest !.
What became of the tree?'a asked the
City Discoverer, after he had stared at the
scientist in fascinated silence for time.
The superintendent of the radfum farm
frowned impatiently. I'VE were not ready
to announce our discoveries to the skepti-
cal world" he replied, so We cut it down.
But if you doubt 1 cans show you the place
where it grew, the ak with which we felled
it and the canvas of the tent it carried
into the air.
1T is remarkable murmured the City
Discoverer, as he trudged across the Long
bridge on his way back to town, his favor
lite cane energetically humping the planks
and his mild blue eyes beaming behind his
specs, what wonderful things a man can
learn by just pokinge his nose into out-of-
the-way corners around town
GETTING BEEF TRUST FACTS.