Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1926-08-29

Queries about domestic economy.
the science of housekeeping. head the
list of questions, averaging 949 900
yearly, which the Department of Ag-
riculture answers for the inquiring
citizens of these United States, who
deluge the information service of the
department with letters ranging in
topics from a request for photo
graph of live vitamin to the set
Element of a poker dispute.
Thousands of appeals for or offers
of advice are received daily through
the mail regarding every phase of hui
man behavior, from the sublime to the
ridiculous. and are duly acknowledged
by the appropriate bureau in the de-
partment, or, failing the usual sources
of technical information, by the mis-
cellaneOuS correspondence section,
presided over for the last quarter
century by John O. Riley, dean of
walking encyclopedias, who deals
gently but firmly with the phobia
crankS, the illiterateS ard the chronic
pests.
The inquisitiveness Of the American
people, and the American farmer in
particular, is one of the big problems
with which the Department of Agri-
the department, if the questionris one
on agriculture, is a man who can
answer it, and if a bulletin on the sub
iect combining the knowledge of all
the specialists has not already been
published which can be sent in reply,
the inquirer gets Il personal letter Civ
ing him all the information that is in
the hands of the department.
At the moment, the three most
50ught-aftcr bulletins are those on homo
baking. making fermented pickles and
backyard poultry skeeping. The
pamphlets issued on individual sub
jects are legion, the stress on any one
subject varying according to the time
of year, the weather, the presence of
prosperity or epidemics.
Tragedy and Comedy.
But scores of communications out
side the realm of agriculture or re-
lated science are received, which run
the whole gamut of human emotions,
tales Of tragedy and hilarious imagin-
ingS.
Recently a Philadelphia schoolgirl,
participating in a church sociable
limerick contest, wrote to the agrarian
experts for aid in fitting last line to
q nonsense poem she had composed.
The missing verse was promptly sup
piled by a poetic employe of the de-
partment.
On another occasion a Mississippi
correspondent yearned to get &C
quainted with vitamin, the Oft
heralded component Of vim. vigOr and
vitality Said he: Il would like to know
what a vitamin is, would like to see
the photograph Of one" proceed
ing phrase being repeated for empha-
sis possibly, would like to see if they
favor boil weevil or what they do
favor or what they look like. If they
are good for persons to swallow,
would like to know what they look
like, so I would know what to swallow
and what to let alone
The desire to unburden ones self is
inherent in the man on the street,
and Uncle Sam is his logical confidant.
as the countless literary eff:lsions to
the Department Of Agriculture prove.
The farmer and farmerette seek solace
through the Government. not only for
their dilemmas but for selfinvented
panaceaS.
A naive writer from Oregon asked
in the same breath how to tan
leather and how to tell good moon
shine" from bad.
A young lady has the reformatlve
urge in somewhat uncertain fashion:
II wish to Become a public speaker.
my slogan is Christom and show the
people the Danger it is to Bee tilthey
such as using to Baco and strong
drink which is a filthy habet and a
dangeres habet Will you tell me what
l must do to get purmit from the
Government to travel and talk to the
people for Their Good and salvation OF
70 Zoo ~ nH
specker I am 81 years old so cant go
to school and get adyploma for this
Purpes But would like to no just what
to do pleas send be a bitten II you
have Eny on this subject
Would Cut Off Bulletins.
A father sought to discourage his
son from editing an agricultural
journal by requesting the department