Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1928-07-05

only with initials, asking that the an
swerS appear In the newspaper The
space Is limited and would not accom-
modate a fraction Of such requests. The
answers published are ones that may
interest many readers, rather than the
one who asks the question only. All
| questions should be accompanied with
, the writer's name and address and
cents In coin or stamps for reply. Send
your question to The Evening Star In
formation Bureau, Frederic J. Haskin
director, Washington. d. c.
@. How many Sunday schools are
! there?-A. L. w.
A. The Federal Council of Churches
says that the total number of Sunday
| schools in the world Ia estimated at
| 347,00l. The total membership Is es-
timated at 32,67761l The total num-
| Der Of Sunday schools in Europe Is
| estimated at 1886, with 100000
members. The total number Of Sum
day schools In the United States Is
estimated at l95,343. with 1890 900
| members.
@. Was there an extra fee on mail
carried by the Pony Express?-J. E. s..
A. The mail carried by the Pony
Express bore, in addition to the regular
| rate of postage, the rate charged by
the contractor. The fees ranged from
So to IS for each one-hah ounce from
California to New York.
@. When an army is on the move
can carrier pigeons be used?-J. r. w.
| A. Carrier pigeons must be trained
| in each new locality for q period OF
from three or four days to two weeks.
q. How is the word conduit pro-
| nounced?-I. E. B.
A. It Is pronounced as If spelled
kondit. 1t Is two-syllable word.
O. What is meant by absolute
,, pitch?-F. B.
A. Absolute pitch is the gift Of being
| able to pitch a musical tone exactly
| without having an instrument with
| which to compare 1t. This gift is rare.
Many people may possess the talent Of
( relative pitch. that is, be able to calcu-
late the pitch OF any tone having heard
note, A for instance, sounded on an
instrument.
@. What is the vitamin known as
bois?-R. F. S.
| A, Scientists at the University Of
California have discovered that the
buds and leaves Of the tea plant con-
| tain a vitamin called bois which has
900 times the life-giving power Of other
vitamins.
O. Are there Winter sports in
Switzerland in the Summertime
A. The sharp contrasts in altitude
make such indulgences possible. sum-
| mer ski festivals are held on the ski
4 - zeal
| Moritz, which In Summer Is fiorai
| paradise.
G. How many kinds of orchids are
| there?-C. S.
A. About $4,000 species of orchids are
! known at present.
@. How many stock casualty COM
panies and mutual casualty companies
are there In the country? How many
! failed last year?-H. A. H.
A. At the close of business Decem-
| her 81. 1927. there were 2e7 stock cas-
uaIty companies and 154 mutual cas-
ualty companies operating In the United
| States. During the year 1927 Is stock
casualty and IA mutual casualty COM
| panies failed.
@. What will clean q concrete porch
that is stained from dust and rain?-
A. C. l..
A. General dust and rain on q con-
crete porch may be removed with any
good laundry I've soap. In extreme
cases a very dilute solution Of muriatic
acid can be used. This does eat the top
surface Of the concrete to some extent.
@. In printing stamped envelopes. is
one standard grade OF paper used2--
C. w. c.
A. Government stamped envelopes
| are printed on two grades Of paper. The
better quality costs q few cents more.
Q. How large do pineapples grows-
A. Some very large specimens may
| weigh from Is to 20 pounds each.
[ @. Does all the land In Russia be-
long to the government?-B. ID.
A. In Russian law the nation Is the
sole landlord. In economic fact the
rural land Is In the immediate possess
sion of the peasantry.
q. Is there q general term for the
outlying possessions OF the United
States?-S. A. F.
A. Mai. Gen. Frank Mcintyre. chief