Evening star., 1931-04-16

brimming beaker to her lips, saluted the
aStonished and delighted Vertigern with
little kiss after the manner Of her
own psople.
@. Is the birch tree native to Mis-
souri?-H. T.
A. This variety Of white-barked tree
is not native to Missouri but it is fre-
quently seen in the State.
@. Please give some information
about Chinese rugS?--J. G.
A. The rugs of China proper are
easily recognized by their characteristic
Chinese ornament. They are Of coarse
texture and are woven with the Selma
knot on cotton warp; the pile is thick
with very smooth surface. A peculiar
feature is the clipping of the pile so as
| to form a furrow at the contours of
the pattern. The prevailing color is
yellow, sometimes Intentional but often
resulting from the fading shades of red
and orange. Blue and white are also
/ freely used, but there is little true red,
b. 0wn or green. Pillar carpets are pc
culiar to China. They are designed so
that when wrapped around pillar the
edges will fit together and give a con-
tinuous pattern. which usually is a coll
ing dragon. Many small mats, seat COW
ers, and the like are found. The dating
OF Chinese rugs is an almost impossible
task, as patterns have varied very little
with time, and internal evidence is al.
most non-eXistent.
@. How high do waves become with
an S0-nile gale?-D. L. S.
A. H. A. Mariner. assistant chief, Di-
vision OF Tides and Currents of the
Coast and Geodetic Survey, says that
with wind of SO miles an hour, waves
OF about 80 feet in Insight may be ex-
Dectp6 in fha With n ind
OF 30 miles an hour, the resulting waves
would be somewhat less than 40 feet
From the observations of the heights of
waves made in the open sea by various
observers and by different methods. it
appears that waves exceeding 40 feet
occur only in severe storms and that so
feet may be taken as the extreme height
Of waves of the sea due to wind. When
two great waves intersect, a peak may
be thrust to height Of so feet or more.
Similarly, when a large wave breaks
against an object, part of the water may
shoot considerably above the height Of
the crest.
@. What is the smallest incorporated
city in the United States?-D. II.
"A. Upland, Ark, is believed to be
the Nations smallest incorporated city.
Official Census Bureau figures for 1880
give a population of a.
@. When was the Botanic Garden
in Washington started?-H B. S.
A. The Botanic Garden was es-
tablished by the Columbian Institute
for the Promotion of Arts and Sci
! ences, incorporated by an act of Con-
gresS April 20, 1913 The present site
was granted by Congress in 1920 and
there Is tradition that George Wash
ington contemplated the establishment
of gardens in this locality. Up to 1886
no improvements had been made. The
tract was a stagnant and malarial
swamp and Congress was prevailed
upon to make an appropriation Of
$4,000 for improvements. The real be-
ginning, however, of the Botanic Gar
den dates from the Wilkes Explora-
, ton Expedition of 1888 to l842 The
staff included botanist, w. D. Breck-
enridge, who brought back from an
expedition to the South Seas large
collection of specimens including seeds
and cuttings. This formed the nucleus
of the botanical collection.
@. How much is the earth slowing
down in rotating on its axis?-D. M r.
A. The rate of rotation is not con-
slant, but is gradually decreasing with
consequent lengthening of the
| sidereal day. amounting to about $4,000
of second per century.