Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1931-07-26
Capital Sidelights
By WILL =. KENNEDY.

BY WILL r. KENNEDY.
Secretary Arthur M. Hyde Of the De.
partment of Agriculture Is showing
timely versatility this Summer in the
publicity! that Is being sent out from his
department to help all the people Of the
country to live more comfortably.
He advises mothers and others re-
sponsible for care of the baby to give
| It sunbatI1s, but to avoid excessive tan
ming.
He advises how to discourage hungry
mosquitoes
He admits what is quite obvious that
dogs, cats, hogs and poultry harbol
heas.
He discloses that it is easy to handle
the bee sting II you know how.
And, after explaining through one Of
his bright young women investigators
that Il is possible to read by the green
light of the mushroom or jack-o-
lanterns, he points out that the afore-
said mushroom Is also the poor mans
weather glass.
The mushroom, he says, Is so Sensi-
tive to changes In the moisture Of the
air that it serves as a barometer. II
grows in the woods, sandy places and
on partly cleared land. AS it develops
the two outer coats of the puff ball con-
tanning the spores split into segments
but remain united at the top of the ball
The two coatings vary in composition
and do not absorb moisture IN the same
degree. The result is that in wet
weather or when there is considerable
moisture in the air the segmentS stand
out from the plant. In dry weather
the inner layer contracts more than
the outer and causes the segments to
D., 81 ~ $hafys y hit
of splitting into starlike segments this
group Of fungi Is known as the earth
stars. These puff-ball mushrooms are
not poisonous.
Secretary Hyde directs us to J. l.
Hambleton, expert on bee culture, for
some Summer psychology on bee stings
which, he says, are painful but inter-
esting" When a bee prods its victim
it tears itself from its sting, a suicidal
act The sting left in the wound has
and the poison sack attached are
equipped with muscles, which work It
In deeper and deeper.
The sting Is composed Of two 1ancets,
each provided with q series Of sharp
barbs pointing backward similar to q
harpoon. The reflex action Of the muscles
draws one lancet into the flesh where
It is anchored by these barbS, and then
the other lancet and so on alternately.
At the same time the muscles are
squeezing the poison sack so that the
the wound.
Mr.. Hambleton explains that most
persons attempt to pull out the sting
and that in so doing the pressure of
their fingers squeezes the poison sack
and empties it into the flesh The
sting should be scratched out, he ad-
vises and demonstrates for interested
observers by letting his finger get stung
and then quickly scratching it out-not
with q knife, but much more quickly
than he could open knife, by scratch
ing vigorously with his fingernail.
So there you have|another use for
the fingernail.
Il ~
Secretary Hyde frankly admits, what
most OF US know from painful expert
ence, that ut is no easy task to dis
courage hungry mosquitoes from biting
human beings" The different breeds
Of mosquitoes react differently to vari-
Gus repellants, and individuals expert
ence different results with the same
repellants and the same breed Of mos
Quitoes.
Oil Of citronella is one Of the most
WANCAy doC0 A1lOoAAOO REPENTANCE OAAC
Government experts say, and that al
most any oily preparation on the skin
will repel mosquitoes more or less.
We now have it off1cially from those
who have made an intensive and pre-
sumably exhaustive study of the pesky
mosquitoes that there is no cure for
mosquito bites. Uncle Sam ofncially adj
vises us all to take precautions against
getting stung rather than to try to
soothe the bite-in other words, to close
the screen door before the mosquito
steals in. If you are bitten one Of the
best methods of relief-the Govern
ment scientists SAYS to rub the pain
full and itchy puncture gently with q
moist piece of toilet soap.
Spraying with a kerosene pyrethrum
mixture is also advocated as an 1nsecti-
eide and repellant.
y \
Over in the Bureau of Home Eco
Monies of the Department Of Agricul-
ture they have gotten far away from
such agricultural problems as the best
kind of seed to plant, from wheat sur
plus and the blight of the gypsy moth,
and are delving deeply into ways to
help the women on the farms and in
city homes as well how to best cult
vate the Nations best crop-itS children
After an interesting If rather prosaic
talk about how normal growth of bones
depends not only on the mineral con-
tent of the food the child eats, but
also on the presence Of vitamin D, and
that when bones do not grow normally
the condition is known as ricketts,, they
shed a new light on the sun bath fad.
They emphasize that only part Of the
sunlight Is effective-the ultra violet
rays-and that less of these are to be
found in the Winter sunlight All sun
ming must be done very gradually, they
say, especially with very young child
The summing should be done before IL
am. or after pm 30 as to avoid the
very hot part of the day.
Excessive tanning should be avoided,
Uncle Sans specialists insist, because 1t
prevents the ultra violet rays from
penetrating the skin and. therefore,
makes the sun bath less effective.