Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1917-01-28
WHAT THE GOVERNMENT Is DOING

Weather experts Of the Department
OF Agriculture say that few city folks.
reading the weather
Weather News forecasts in their pa
pers, realize the i'm
1or FARMERS. portance of the warn
ing of rain. snow, frost or high winds
as it affects the farmers. fruit grow
ers or stock raisers in the country
districts.
The message which causes the city
man merely to debate whether he shall
carry an umbrella or take his over
coat. when telegraphed to country
points may be telephoned instantly
from farmer to farmer as news OF the
greatest agricultural Importance. Such
a message over the phone may cause
the countryside to become scene of
intensive activity. There is rush TO
hay or grain fields to get in the crop.
or. in the spring. work like beavers
covering young seedlings in the truck
gardens with paper or other prntec s,of.
or light smudges in orchards. On
ranches every available worker may be
dispatched to herd in sheep or stock
to protect them from storms.
On the other hand. a forecast pre-
dieting good or hot weather for three
or four days to come may send thou
sands Of reapers into the fields to
take advantage of favorable weather.
and. as If by magic. change the land
scape from one of waving grain or
grass into a scene of haycocks or wheat
Sheaves.
The weather bureau has perfected spe-
cial systems and facilities for obtain
ing and disseminating advance weather
| news adapted to the protection of
growers Of many special crops In dr.
ferent sections of the country. In con-
nection with the weather reports re-
ceived from it's 200 stations and from
1900 other observation points, the bu-
reau has established Il large number OF
special stations for observing crop
weather conditions in the corn. wheat.
cotton, sugar. rice and cattle raising
districts. The object of this service is
to furnish the growers of each of these
crops throughout the summer with IN
formation that will enable them to
handle the crops to the best advantage.
The corn and wheat region service
covers. for example, the fifteen princi-
pal grain states. in which 1t maintains
one region center, thirteen district
centers and ia special stations from
which kilograms are received daily
and reports disseminated. Daily bull
letins showing the temperature and
rainfall at these stations are published
at eighteen different points and dis
tributed to approximately 2,775 differ
ent people. A similar service is car
ried on in the various sections grow
| ing the different crops.
:.
=
There were manufactured at the naval
powder factory, at Indian Head, Md.
during the year just
Naval Powder closed 4.22o.4o5 pounds
of smokeless powder.
raetorS. as against 4.052.O59 for
the previous year. The cost per pound
has also increased. according to figures
compiled by the bureau of ordnance:
the latest figures show that it costs
| $O.321 per pound, as against SOFAS per
pound the previous year.
This large increase in cost was caused
mainly, it is said, by the increase in
| the market price of all raw materials
| entering into the manufacture of ex-
plosives, due to the war abroad. As
| an example of this, say experts of the
Navy Department, the cost of mixed
acid more than doubled. and 1t was ac-
| cordingly decided to increase the ca
pacity of the nitric and sulphuric acid
the entire capacity of the powder fac
| tory. These extensions to the acid
| plants are now just about completed.
| and at the current rate for mixed acid
| it is expected that they will pay for
| themselves in few months. In addi-
| ton to this increase more recently alco-
| hol and nitrating cotton have greatly
advanced in price. The officials OBJ.
tanned a supply Of sodium nitrate of
| excellent quality at low figure by
purchase in the Chilean ports and
| transporting in a naval collier to this
country.
| The Navy Department did not con-
tract for smokeless powder with any
y,rtx, To 70 ortyr
year, 1t is said, and no deliveries were
made by manufacturers on back con-
| tracts. 1t Is expected. however, that
during the present year additional con-
| owing to the fact that the new building
program. which is beyond the capacity
| Of the Indian Head plant. is making
large demands on that plant A num-
| manufacture, the experts say. of
smokeless powder since the European
war began, and it is expected that
| it will now be possible to secure COM
petitive bids on the navy's require
ments for smoke1ess powder. $50.
y
! 1t is very doubtful il many of the 300.-
| 900 or more people who visit the animal
| exhibits of the National
! Mnnntinu Museum annually realize
| the great amount of work
animals. put on each animal in the
mounting by the modern taxidernists of
| this branch of the government. The
larger animals are mounted on So
called ..manikinsT' of reinforced plaster.
and are not as IS quite generally sup
! posed simply stuffed with excelsior or
sawd,st The expert taxidermists en-
ployed by the museum are more in the
nature OF sculptors than anything else
| They are said to have been the pioneers
| in this kind of work, and at this time
complete their work by constructing life
sized hollow plaster figures which are
not only light and durable, but also far
more realistic than those produced with
sawdust and excelsior.
The mounting of one of these larger
animals is commenced by thorough
| cleaning and tanning Of the skin, after
which the skull and other bones avail
able are turned over to the expert.
Bones not being. available. he studies
photographs, measures the skin. relies
on casts or like methods. Following
| this preliminary study he begins full
| sized clay model. Some of the taxider-
mists of the museum believe in utiliz-
| ing certain bones, particularly the skull
and leg bones, in building up frame
work for a model, while others measure
| the bones and make the framework
from iron rods and pieces of board. A
rough framework having been con-
structed, the taxidermist now assumes
| the roll of sculptor and fills in the
| framework with clay.