Evening star., 1924-04-26
Answers to Questions
BY FREDERIC J. HASKIN


| 1iaberdasher says that wing col
wide black bow.
Q. When is the festival of the
| cherry blossoms held in Japan
/ Il. r. N.
A. The festival Of the cherry bios
SONS is notable event each year.
| This fete is celebrated during the
second or third week In April, when
the cherry trees are at the height of
their season. Inaugurated in the
! ninth century. the emperors garden
party is famed throughout the world
! for Its floral splendor, and as a social
function IL brings about the most
brilliant assemblage seen at the royal
| palace during the entire round of the
| four seasons. To the Japanese the
| cherry blossom has n symbolism akin
to that of the bluebird In other coun-
tries. and they speak of It as "Sakura
symbol OF happiness"
| glass?-E. +.
| that bullet-proof glass has a layer
! of celluloid or similar product ce-
| mented between two layers OF glass.
O.. When Benjamin Franklin was
in England as an agent of the coli
| onies about 1860 he put in trust fi00
to BE invested with accumula-
items for not less than loo years,
after which the income was to be-
| come available as prizes for the most
valuable contributions TO the science
! of curative medicine. Have such
! awards been made?-R 5.
A. The trustees have made the
| first awards. one goes TO Japanese,
| Fusakichi Omori, for a surgical trea-
| tise; one posthumously to DR.. Charles
J
nervous system az conductor of
| electrical energy, and one to Mr.. Pier
son W. Banning for his work on
| mental and spiritual healing.
n. Z; /. y what is a" oyster D''n''-
A. The oyster plant is also known
as vegetable oyster. satisfy and pur.
pie goats beard. Its cooked root
| tastes somewhat like oysters.
@. find it difficult 10 obtain in
| formation on the Chesapeake and
| Ohio canal Can you assist me-
! W. W. A.
/ A. The Chesapeake and Ohio canal
originated in project formed by
| Washington as early as 1I14 to make
the Potomac navigable from tidewater
| to Cumberland, ard to connect II by
common roads and portages with the
Ohio. The var of the Revolution
postponed the scheme. but il was taken
| up again in 1854. and the company was
! incorporated. or this company Wash
! ington was president until his election
| as President of the United States. The
| project encountered many obstacles,
and in 1920 was abandoned as i'm
| practicable. A new company was later
| organized which constructed to Cum
| berland, completing il In 1850. The
| whole length of the canal is 1874 miles.
| it's depth. six feet: its width to Har-
| per's Ferry. sixty feet al the surface
1 <.A hn hnst tnyN
means Of seventy -four locks an e!eva.
ton of 60s feet is gained. The cost
OF the work was over s1l,ooo.Oo0.
@. Please give me the address of
the Mothers Day international AS
! sociatlon.
\. 2os, North 1ath street. Phila-
| delphia, Pa. The president is Anna
Jarvis.
.. DO elephants breed in captivity?
4. The National geological Park
says that elephants do breed in cap
! tivity. In fact, Princess Alice. an
city, gave birth to a baby elephant in
| 1918. Within recent years several
elephants have been horn in Copen-
hagen. Denmark. The period OF
CESSATION is twenty-five months.
Q. Was Hugo SHINES a Jew?-J.
| W. II.
a. Hugo SHINES. the German finan-
| cier, was not d Jew. His father was
| a pure German, his mother French, OF
| Huguenot descent.
G. How can cup grease, for auto
| mobiles be made?-G. w. 5.
4; Cup grease for automobiles is
vaseline. If you wish tho grease TO
adhere. combine the vaseline with
| wax. If you do not want it to adhere,
combine the vaseline with parafi1n.
@. How fast does the fastest train
| travel in the United States?-H. Z. l..
| A The fastest regularly scheduled
! short distance run is that OF the Board
Railway. from Philadelphia to Atlantic
| City, which makes 61.8 miles per hour.
Q. What is the origin of the term
| 'tsourdough"?-J. E. B.
| A. The word "sourdough" is applied
! to one who has spent one or more
| winters in Alaska The word is ap-
piled in allusion to the use of piece
| of sour dough for raising bread baked
! during the winter.
| Q. What can be done to keep crows
from eating corn after 1t is sown?-
! d. c. H.
A. The Department of Agriculture
says that if corn is dipped into tar
| pitch before sowing the crows will
| not eat il. You should allow pint
| of tar to one-half a bushel of corn.
| Put the corn in a measure, pour in
| the tar and stir until every kernel
| has come in contact with the tar.
@. How can sound waves be neu-
| tralized?-D. H. d.
A. The bureau of standards says
| that there are two methods, namely,
| by interference and by absorption.
! In neutraliZing sound waves by inter-
| ference two waves are combined IN
| such a way as to produce silence. 1t
both sources of sound coupled in some
way. This method, however. could
| not be used to neutralize sound the
| source of which is not under con-
J troll. The other method of neutraliz-
| ing sound waves by absorption is
| able screens of sound absorbing mate
rial. Hair felt is the best sound-dead-
ener SO far discovered.
fAny reoder can get the anst1e7- to ony
| question bJ tc1fting The Star Information
1920 North Capitol street. Washington, d.
G. This offer applies strictly to inf nfor1ldtio1s.
| The bureau cannot OfUe 1drice on Legal,
medical ard financial matters. 1t does
not attempt to settle domestic troubles,
nor to undertake exhaustive research on
! any subject. Write your question pLdinly
and briefly. Gire fun name and address
and tncIOse 2 cents in stamps for return
postage. All replies are sent direct to
the itqatjrer.)
Macdonald on Clothes.