Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1911-02-02
Cold Snap Hits West.

Colder weather has overspread the Mis-
sissippi valley and the northwest. Yes
terday afternoon St Louis basked in
temperature of 81 degrees. This morning
it was slhivering degrees below freezing
point. Warmer weather yet prevails In the
eastern and southeastern states. Fort
Worth. Tex. roasted in temperature OF
o. degrees, the highest reported in the
last twenty-four hours, while Devils
Lake, n. D., was buried in cold II de-
sreeS below zero.
So the backbone Of winter is broken
maybe. unless
There was rumor of a scandal in the
Department of Agriculture yesterday.
Prof Willis Moore. chief of the weather
bureau, and DR.. Henshaw. chief of the
biological survey, were discovered in con-
ference. and 1t was reported that Prof.
Moore was endeavoring to have the
scientists OF the biological survey hunt
up and foully handle the venerable
ground hog. so that the weather bureau
would not have a competitor in the fu-
ture and would not have to explain any
f1are-backs after February >.
Animal Reality.
So few people in this region ever have
formed a personal acquaintance with a
grounding that there are many who
believe him to be a fictitious animal and
the romance about him and his shadow
to be mere superstition and folk lore
Leaving the story of the shadow out of
the question, there is no doubt about the
reality of the animal. He grows right
around Washington, but not exactly in
the back yards of urban residents.
In this latitude he is confined chiefly to
the stony hill country and is not OF much
economic Importance. but further north,
in New York and New England. where
nr Iytn he II linn, ,lY he III
a good deal of damage and the farmers,
when they are troubled beyond endurance,
go after him with bisulphide of carbon,
the worst smelling mess in the laboratory.
The fumes of this are bad for ground
hogs. and it is said that a Wad of raw
cotton soaked in the ill-smelling stuff and
pokedi into a grounding burrow Will
aSphyXiate a whole family.
Lives on High Island.
About the nearest the grounding ever
comes to the city limits is High Island. up
the Potomac, and there is another island
little further on where he is plentiful.
He grows almost as big as a fair-sized
coon, and, while he is of a peaceful
nature and does not hunt trouble. he can
put up very fair sort OF scrap if he has
| to, and is a match for the average dog
| up to the size Of an Airedale terrier. II
| may be remarked that when it comes to
| fighting a dog the grounding has q
! natural but possibly an unfair advantage
| His skin is SO loose that dog might as
| well try TO shake a beanbag inside q
| balloon. In addition to that, he is 4
glutton for punishment, as they say In
low-browed' sporting reports, and while
| he makes the dog bring the fight to him
the has more stamina than Battling Mel
| son had at his best.
Grounding day is a purely American
| institution. 1t is supposed to mark hall
| the passage of the winter. 1t is called
Candelmas day in England. where there
are legends and superstitions to match
| But the grounding myth (supposing it is
a myth originated with the Indians, and
did not have to be imported. There are
references to it in colonial literature.