Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1937-08-16
Washington
Waysidc
Tales
Random Observations
of Interesting Events
and Things.
SPORT.
TINE sports page of the Con-
gressional Record was con-
siderably frightened the other

siderably frightened the other
Il day by a speech made by Rep
resentative William L. Nelson, who
invited all the members and the world
at large to attend the National Corn
Shucking Contest this year. For the
enlightenment of city-bred members
he explained that over 100000 persons
attended the last national contest,
putting the exhibition in class by
itself as an American sports spectacle.
Some States refer to the process As
picking" gathering" or "husking"
corn. In Missouri the word is "shuck-
ing and that's the title for this
season. The contest runs for 80 con-
tinuous minutes with no time out for
rest or refreshment. Ears missed or
thrown over the wagon are collected
by cleaners, and for every pound
missed the contestant is penalized
5 pounds. He Is allowed 5 ounces of
shucks to 100 pounds OF corn. More
than S ounces, and you get penalized
for dirty shucking" and are known
all over the countryside As dirty
eiiuIhti very lcSIlIllChl UuSlIleSS.
Worlds record is 425 bushels
shucked in 80 minutes. If you want
to, try your talents on the home lot
and see if you belong in the big
leagues.
+ X
CROPS.
The Department OF Agriculture,
1rhich likes to estimate crops be-
fore they are harvested, might be
interested to knot0 that ,ne hare
just received our fHh letter re-
reaitnQ the phered bouts of cot
ton patches being 0romn in the
District OF Columbia. MOSTLY in
peoples back yards, mhere the
yield is only moderate, but plo,D-
ing under Mould be tough as any
thing
For small consideration, ,Ue'H
tell all. Mercenary-that's us.
AGAIN?
A T THE entrance to the nerbarium
OF the Smithsonian a correspond
ent OF ours claims he saw sign the
other day reading:
This case is freshly charged with
bisulphide of carbon.
EXPLOSIVE.
Bring no fire near to it."
Rather puzzled him. since bisulphide
Of carbon has 4 terrifically bad odor,
but hasn't been used for a long time
to kill the insects inside glass case.
He wonders just what the Smith
sonian people do mean to say. prob
ably something bitter. now
4 X X
QUERY.
WILL somebody kindly explain to
this department the exact mean
ing, origin and proba BILE future of the
term 'nippy hodge" which we are told
is pet Southern name for a concoc-
ton consisting OF soft drink mixed
with drink of something you
shouldn't be drinking anyhow. Lot of
mystery about the name around here,
what with the users thereof snickering
and refusing to talk and other citizens
looking wise but uninformative. ANY
answers?
BREAKS.
Last OF the Friday-the-13th
yarns IS this one. IRE promise.
It's about young Bostonian pho
drore dotCn here over the urek
end from beanto1On. ARMED lust
after midnight, and about 1902
am. Friday drove oper safety
marker at street car stop.
Knocked the battery out OF his
car. Replacement cost, SIS.
That afternoon he pent out to
see the Red Sor play and stood
up TOR them nightly against the
. 1eers OF his Washington friends.
Washington 1Uon. 80.
Third strike came mhen he re-
turned to his car and found that
ne,O hat, purchased that morn
ing. 1Dds gone
By nighttaU. he 1Das gone him
self, back to the Back Bay
NUMBERS.
Tor lass who was reading book
upside down all during her first
visit to polo game, the quite young
lady We wrote about last week seems
to have picked up pointer or two at
that. (She was the one who said that,
any way you looked at it, a good book
was better than polo match.)
Over the week end she happened
to see her aunt, an elderly lady of
Is, dressed in riding clothes and about
to start for the country.
What number do you ride?" she