Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1926-02-08
ANSWERS TO QUESTIONS
BY FREDERIC J. HASKIN.

Q. Please explain why. at this time
OF year, when the days are Iengthen-
Ing, they take on more Of their
length in the afternoon than in the
mornlng?-J. S. j.
A. Forenoon and afternoon are
always equal, or very nearly SO. by
the sun; they are at times far from
being SO, by the clock. The reason
for this Is that clocks give, not the
actual solar time, but the mean or
average solar time. Noon by the
sun Is when the sun is due south
that is to say, noon by the sun is
midway, or very nearly midway, be-
tween sunrise and sunset. Noon by
the clock may occur as much as one
quarter hour earlier or later than
noon by the sun, the difference being
known as the equation of time. 1t
so happens when the days begin
to lengthen in December that noon
by the clock is growing relatively
earlier at a rapid rate: in other words,
is moving toward the time of sun
rise and away from the time of sun
set, the tendency being TO shorten
the forenoon and to lengthen the aft
ernoon.
@. Where do we get the expression
A. The seven-league boots are in
PRODUCED into the nursery tale, Tom
Thumb" which is from the French
lie Petit Poucet" by Charles Per
rault, written about 1880. The story,
however, is probably of Anglo-SaxOn
origin. There is in the Bodleian
Library. at oxford. d ballad about
Tom Thumb printed by John Wright
in 1880.
Q. What fuel did the Savannah
| use on her first trip across the
Atlantic?-N. A. 0.
A. For fuel the ship carried huge
quantities of pitch pine, since at that
time coal was not in general use for
vessels.
Q. What native State Is ruled by
a white rajah?-A. T. +.
A. The State is Sarawak, lying
along the northwest coast of Borneo.
| The rsjah is II. II. Charles Nyner
Brooke, a great-nephew Of James
Brooke. the Englishrlan. TO whom
the Sultan of Brunei gave the gov
eminent in 1872.
Q. What domestic animals do rein
| deer most resemble in habits and dis
POSITIONS. r. K.
A. It may be said that they have
some Of the characteristics of sheep.
cattle and horses. They flock together
! like sheep, but Craze more like cat
tic and In intelligence and activity
they more nearly resemble the horse.
| Reindeer are much more intelligent
| than cattle, but not SO intelligent as
| the horse.
! Q. Is there any method whereby ink
| stains can be removed from con
crete porch?-A. c. 3.
| A. The Bureau Of Standards suG-
! guests that you try applying a. solu-
! ton OF oxalic acid, and as soon as stain
| is removed apply ammonia water.
| Q. What was Presidents Mckinley
| favorite poem?-R. d.
| A. The Song of the Mystic by
/ Father Ryan, is said TO have been his
! favorite.
/ @. Is matted milk nutritious OF
! what is il CompOsed?-P. I. X.
! A. Matted milk is combination Of
dried milk powder with red dog flour,
| which has been treated with malt SO
! that the starch thereof has been
| largely converted into maltese sugar.
/ While red dog flour is considered the
| lowest grade Of -four produced, it con
| talnS more Nlta1nlnS ana minerals by
! FAR than refined white -four. Dried
milk when properly prepared has lost
very few of its vitamins and practi-
| cally none of its nutritive value This
combination called matted milk has all
! the nutritive value of milk and red
/ dog -four from which il is prepared.
( Q. Why does the Maori warrior tat
! too his face?-M. d.
{ n eli
sion of fear.
| .. What kind of disease was the
black death?-H. 7.
! A. The black death was an Oriental
plague. II was an acute infectious
/ disease caused by tho presence Of a
! specific microbe-bacillus pests, and
! marked by suppuration and tumors. II
/ took its name from the black spots
which in severe cases appeared in the
skin.
@ Please give the tallest buildings
in New York and i'll Chicago.-A. II. j
A. The tallest building in New
York City Is the Woolworth Building