Evening star., 1921-03-06

pound which greatly beauties their
coats, as we'll
Helpfuness-that is the keynote OF
Chemist Howard's life. Wherever there
is a wrong condition to he righted or a
difficulty with which chemistry can
cope. this knight crrant of the science
is ever ready TO deal with it. A rather
retiring. CreanN-eyed New Enslander.
he is the very incarnation of kindness
and his quiet force viii not be denied
An associate spoke about the poor
quality Of rubber rings for fruit jars
, rowadays They seem lifeless and soon
lose all resili-ncg and become brittle
and worthless. Late that afternoon his
friend found Howard in his laboratory
surrounded by open volumes Oh them
istry and deep in data.
ITS those rubber rings of yours" he
said. - just had to do something
about it,
The result WAS Il composition for jar
rings which is superior in every way
10 rubber or rubber compound. except
IT hasn't much resistance to abrasion;
II wouldn't do for automobile tires. For
jar rings it is beyond compare.
IN the days when Mr.. Howard was
associated with Dr. Bernstein. the
German chemist had long experimental
with milk in the effort to take from il
the butter fats, casein and other ele-
ments hard for the digestive tract to
handle and leave "A serum which could
be fed to typhoid patients and others
in whose cases other forms of food
could not be used. He had occasion
TO spend several weeks in New York.
Upon his return Howard showed him
the milk serum. We've got it," he
said in his quiet way.
We've got it" exclaimed Bern
stein. you've got it. you mean. I've
been working on that for six years
and never could have got it in the
world"
This milk serum was DEVELOPED
really at the request of Dr. J. Heber
Smith. at that time head of the facul-
ty at the Boston University Medical
College, and he used it with marvel
Gus results. After his death Mr.
Howard continued to make it for
few patients to whom he had given it,
but the demand for it finally ceased
and the formula was no longer used
1t is among those which the chemist
has turned over 10 his present asso-
cidteS.
E'ILLED though his days ara with
his professional work, this far
from engrosses the chemists whole
attention. He is an enthusiastic
naturalist, tree surgeon of fine
quality (and here again his chemistry
is turned to good account), a skilled
agriculturist and bird lover such as
few men become
EX-Representative Joseph c. Sibley
is noted for his experimental work in
agriculture at that famous farm in
western Pennsylvania where he turns
his wealth to practical account.
When Luther Burbank dies he
says. the one man in America able
TO take his place is Fred Howard"
One day "a neighbor complained of
his strawberries gathering up so
much sand and dirt as they grew. and
Wished for a strawberry plant which
would grow berries in Il high cluster.
1T might be done" said the chem
list
He did it. He bred cultivated
berry from the wild. which grows in
clusters foot and more off the
ground. The berries have all the
flavor of the wild strawberry and
grow two inches in diameter at the
base.
His 'Sibley" cucumber is the fast
est-growing thing known to the veg
etable kinSdom-unleSS il be certain
edible palm shoots-much the fastest
in northern ATTITUDES, anyway. 1t is
ready for the table in three to five
days from the blossom-round and
blunt ended and its Hrm, luscious
flesh digeStible by the most delicate
stomach. where the ordinary cucum-
Der is Il spindly runt at the end of
so short a time as three or five days.
To get this Mr.. Howard thought
first of where on the globe the short
ness of the warm season would COM
pei the growing of vegetables in the
shortest time and sent to northera
Russia for cucumbers which there
come rapidly to maturity. These had
the quality of rapid growth, but
they didn't look or taste much like
what the chemist evolved from them
in combination with<F.ur American
cucumber. M
His agricultural Experiments are
many, but the PATCH of buckwheat
alongside of his house. where one
would expect only Il green lawn, is
not one of them.
"The birds like that" said How
ard. I'm winter. when the snow has
covered most of their feed, they come
and live on it,
"Why do you leave the growth so
thick in that piece of spruce and
birch across the road from your
house!' Howard was asked one day.
you cart set trees ce l4fhoupepNa
f1zl1aI - 49, -