Evening star., 1934-01-04

Washington Is the worlds greatest
storehouse of all kinds of knowledge.
You can draw on 1t free Of charge
through our bureau here. Any question
Of fact you may ask will be answered
promptly in a personal letter to you.
Be careful to write clearly, give your
full name and address and tnclose 2
post cards. Send your inquiry to The
Evening Star Information Bureau,
Frederic J. Haskin, Director, Washing
ton, D. c.
Q. How does the Russian standard
OF living E compare with the Americana
A. Russia is so large a country and
with SO numerous a population that it
doubtless would be possible to discover
any kind of material condition there
from nearly the best to the worst. Rus
sian officials claim that they have
raised the country to a condition where
the living standard Is 20 per cent as
high as ours. Il is conceded that the
American standard is five times as
high as the Russian, but that before
the revolution it was 10 times as high.
9. When was the vacuum method Of
picking cotton invented?-R. F.
A. The suction or vacuum process
for harvesting cotton has been tried by
many men for many years. The first
vas Granted to M mr. john no''eh ar,fRn R1skef Of
Louisville, KY, on November %, 1852
@. How long has there been such a
thing as organized crime?-E D.
A. Criminals banded together are as
old as the history of the human race.
Such organizations became most serious
In the eleventh century, when As
Sanben-Sabbah, the Old Man Of the
Mountains, securely protected In q
rocky fortress, directed the crimes Of
his band Of hashish-drunken followers.
The name, assaSsins, coined from his
own name. he gave to this criminal
band.
@. What does the English gold SOW
ereign weigh?-K. S. N.
A. 1t weighs 1881 grams, Of which
1924 is gold.
O. Was James Smithson, for whom
the Smithsonian Institution was named,
ever in the United States?-F. N.
A. He never visited the United States
and was not known to have had cor
respondent or friend in this country.
He left fortune Of about $500, 900,
which, upon the death Of his nephew
without issue, was bequeathed "to the
United States of America, to found at
washington, under the name of the
Smithsonian Institution, an establish
ment for the increase and diffusion of
knowledge among men" Smithson died
in 1929 and the nephew died without
heirs in 1885. SmithSon's body rests
in a marble sarcophagus In q mortuary
chapel in the institution, having been
brought to this country in 1906.
Q. What is the difference between
a smoked ham and a smoked shoul-
der?-R. c. F.
| A. The difference between a shoul-
der and ham, either fresh or smoked,
is that the shoulder is smaller and not
quite so tender as the ham.
O. How much land in the United
States which has been under cultiva-
ton has been destroyed by soil ero-
sion?-R. A. N.
A. approximately 35,000,O0O acres of
formerly cultivated land has been es-
sentially destroyed for crop production;
100 900 900 acres of land now in crops
has lost all or most Of the topsoil; 1885,
900, 900 acres now in production is
rapidly losing topsoil, and additional
land Is suffering to some extent.
t. {: &. H0" old is Alexander w00l'0't'-
A. He will be Al on January 10, 1894
Q. Did Great Britain cancel any OF
! the war debts due her?-H. W.
A. In making refunding arrange