Evening star., 1924-05-11
oamen on the Topath Share IN Latest ado

can be heard when it is In action, for
1t has a range of 300 to 5000 meters
and browns out esi competition.
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A S you stroll past the White House
this summer do not be surprises
II you hear radio music in the air-
for the Navy Department is now
testing out several portable radio
sets, the best of which will be sent to
the White House for the use of Pres
ident Coolidge and his family.
An indoor standard set with a loud
speaker is now installed at Americas
most famous mansion. Latterly Pres
ident Coolidge has asked for an eff
cient portable set which could be
used on the lawn and under the shade
OF the venerable White House trees.
The presidential yacht, the May
flower, recently has also been equip
ped with a new and improved radio
receiving set. Henceforward no
matter how far the yacht steams
down the Potomac, the President and
his guests will always have excel
ether.
Radio has gone far on its Jour
ney toward perfection since the early
days when wireless communication
was first adapted for battleship use
One of Washington's naval experts
recently described the difficulties
which were met with in battleship
target practice during the babyhood
of radio. Those were in the days
when open gap transmitters and crys-
tai detectors were commonly used.
During the target practice of the
mammoth battleships the reyerbera-
tions were so great that they not in
frequently Jared loose some of the
delicate radio equipment and tenn
porarily put it out of commission.
This defect was finally rectifed by
placing the radio apparatus below
the level of the armor. A piece of
hard coal was fitted with a knitting
needle driven through it on one oc-
casion as a sort of muffier device
which absorbed the shocks of reyer-
beration and protected the radio sets
for active operation, even during
target practice periods.
Uncle Sam, champion farmer and
agricultural educator, is now in com
munication by radio with more than
100000 American farms, where radio
receiving sets are now accorded posi-
tions of honor in the front parIors.
These radio sets range in cost from
SIS to $3.50 apiece. Secretary of Agri-
culture Wallace has coined a new
word, "agriograms," to identify the
brief news items about agriculture
which are flashed daily to the Ameri
can farming fraternity from 500 radio
broadcasting stations. Housewives
are being instructed in the rudiments
of domestic science by pithy para
graphs shot TO them. through the
ether. Some day, perhaps, your wife
or mine may wish. new biscuit
or cake recipe. All she has to do is
to clamp the radio trumpets to her
ears and listen for the daily lecture
from the Department of Agriculture
laboratories.
Farmers in Maryland and Virginia
are ardent champions of photography
since Uncle Sam has instituted his
matchless information service through
the ether. Accurate weather reports
now enable the farmer to protect his
field work and crops from storms.
Forecasts of snow and icy winds en-
able him TO fortify his fruits and
live stock against losses. He now
can keep in intimate touch with the
city markets. Entertainment of
every description is his by merely
turning a radio knob. AS one Vir-
ginia farmer aptly phrases it:
1--WE in the country used to be as
isolated as Napoleon at st. Helena.
Radio has introduced us to new at
fractions of life. Muddy roads may
now maroon US from daily mail and
newspapers, but radio keeps US in
touch with the world. We never
lack for enjoyable entertainment as
long as ether messages come our
way"