Evening star., 1926-06-19
ANSWERS TO QUESTIONS
BY FREDERIC J. HASKIN.

Q. What was the weight OF the
largest turtle ever caught?-W. B. w.
A. The Smithsonian Institution
says that the largest turtle that has
actually been weighed tipped the
scales at about 800 pounds.
Q. Does anything except the sun
produce infra-red rays?-M. l.. r.
a. lnfra-red rays are those having
less than $50 ,000, 900 900 vibra tions per
second. All of these rays are heat
rays. A piece of iron being heated
produces different rays as 1t loses it's
cold gray color. first the infra red Jim
perceptible), then the red. which are
visible, then orange, yellow, etc, TO
white, which includes all of the coIors.
.. How are citrus fruits which are
picked before they are entirely yellow
cOlored?-M. V.
A. This cOloring of citrus fruit
which has attained physiological ma
turity without taking on the color
generally associated with ripeness is
obviously a legitimate practice. In
the course of the experiments il was
found that grapefruit and oranges can
readily be colored by the exhaust from
gasoline engine, by ethylene, as
well as by the gas formed by the in
complete combustion of kerosene or
other similar petroleum product
Grapefruit colors more readily than
oranges, and early oranges, such as
Parson Brown, assume the character
istic golden. yellow color more quickly
than does the Spring maturing Va
lencia. Oranges begin to show the de
sired color within 4s to Y hours after
treatment is begun.
q. Are France and Engla nd willing
to waive visa fees?-M. r.
A. France has declined TO enter into
a reciprocal agreement for waiver Of
fees. The British government has
not Sc far accepted aey proposal for
either reduction or waiver OF fees.
Q. When was the first expedition
fitted out TO find the Northwest Pas
sa gem. G..
A. Probably the earliest attempt to
discover the Northwest Pa ssa ge and
incidentally to define the location of
the North Pole was made by a Portu-
guese named Corte Real about 1900
In 1888 company was formed in
London called The Fellowship for
the Discovery of the Northwest
Passag ge."
@. Where was the first botanical
garden established?-C. f. NJ
A. One in Padua, Italy. ests blished
in l545 ia considered the first.
Q. Who started pitching horse.
shoes?--J. r. G.
A The game OF horseshoes is ba sed
on quoits. which Is pastime resem-
bling the ancient discus.throwing of
Greece. Few traces of a game resem-
bling quoits can he found on the con
tinent of Europe nd its origin may be
sought for on the borderlands Of Scot
land and England. There are refer.
ences TO it in the MidIands, dating
from the beginning of the fifteenth cen
tury. Ascham. in his "Toxophilus'
u 545'. refers 10 the game as being
played chiefly by the working classes
who often used horseshoes for want of
country districts.
Q. Do ships travel on the Dead
Sea ?-E. s. V.
A. The Dead Sea has been navi.
gated in the past. although not con
tinually or for commercial purposes
1t was navigated by an Irishman
named Costigan in 1858: by Moiynea u
in '1S47. An American, Comdr Lynch.
explored 1t in 1s4s. 1T Is related that
the sea was naviga ted by the knights
of st. John during the twelfth cen.
tury.
Q. Where is the snowfall hea West
in the United States?-F. ].
A. The Sierra Nevada Mountains in
California is one of the regions of
greatest snowfall in the United States.
Snowfall in the highest portions Of
these mountains often nea sures from