Evening star., 1937-11-16
ANSWERS TO
QUESTIONS

QUESTIONS
BY FREDERIC J. HASKIN.
A reader can get the answer to dny
question OF fact by pritino The Evening
Star Information Bureau, Frederic J.
Haskin, Director. Washington, d. c.
Please inclose stamp TOR reply.
Q. How long would it take 20 put
through q telephone call from Holly
wood to Rome. Italy?-P. G.
A. Usually it would take from 20 to
Is minutes.
@. How should pine cones be prepared
for burning in fireplace?-W. A.
A. Merely have them thoroughly dry.
To produce colored flames, sprinkle
chemicals on them at the time of using.
Copper chloride produces a blue or
blulsh-green flame; strontium chloride,
orange color; lithium chloride, bright
red; sodium chloride common saIt)
brilliant yellow flame.
@. How long are the opossums young
carried in the mothers pouch?-D. P. T.
A. They do not leave the pouch for
two months, and return to 1t for about
a month longer to be fed.
@. What percentage of school children
in the United States are supplied with
free textbooks?-L. F.
A. Approximately IS per cent of the
students in public schools receive free
textbooks.
@. Why is the Lue Gin Gong orange
so named?-A. S.
A. This Chinese who lived in Florida
produced the orange which bears his
name by -polleniZation. The fruit
remains on the tree six months and
retains its flavor and soundness He
also produced the Lue Gin Gong grape
fruit which resists more cold than earlier
varieties.
Q. What was the German emblem, the
sWastika, taken from?-D. c..
A. The sWastika is of very ancient
origin; by some traced to the Dravidians
who were in India long before the Aryan
peoples. Through the Aryans the symbol
was transferred to Europe Asia Minor.
North and South America, being used
by the American Indians and the Incas
of ancient Peru. Many scholars hold
that the sWastika is a symbol of the sun,
others claim that it represents the
feminine element in life, but most
peoples have used it as an amulet or
protector against evil When the branches
turn from left to right it represents
spring time, or the rising sun. and is
believed in this form to be lucky, the
symbol of light, life and prosperity.
Q. How long has celery been grown
commercially in the United states?-
NJ B.
A. 1t began in Kalamazoo, Mich, in
1874. Now from $4,000 to $1,000 car
loads of celery are raised yearly on 81 900
to $4,000 acres of land.
@. Where is the Belvedere K. G.
A. 1t is gallery and court of the
Vatican at Rome, containing some of
the rarest classical antiquities among
which are the Apollo Belvedere, the
Torso of Hercules, and the LAGOON. 1t
was built in 1890 for Innocent VIII. A
palace in Vienna called the Belvedere
houses the Museum of History and Art.
@. What is the name of the man who
supplies most of the large electric signs
on Broadway?-E. L. w.
A. Douglas Leigh of the International
Building, New York City, rents many of
the large electric and animated cartoon
signs.
@. How long has it been known that
pollen causes hay fever?-H. NJ. G.
A. In 1856 Charles Blackley. an Eng
lish physician, proved that pollen is the
cause of hay fever. Blackley was a
sufferer from the disease and found that
when he collected pollen and applied it
to his eyes or to his nose he could pro-
duce an attack.
@. What is poeonology?-H p. w.
A. 1t is the study of boards or treatise
on the subject.
@. Is bear meat light or dark?-M. L.
A. The flesh of the bear is darker and
coarser than beef.
@. How much life insurance is in force
in the United States?-J. G. H.
A. The total life insurance in force
in the United States on January /, 1886.
from data collected by the Spectator
Co.. was 500, ,730 ,416,016 OF which ST.
963 1885, 305 was ordinary life insurance.
There was s18,297 ,o92 worth of in
dustrial insurance, and $40, ,469, ,576,619 in
group insurance.
@. When were cabooses first used on
trains?-C. H. B..
A. The exact date of the first use of
caboose car, or conductors car as it
was called in 1879. is not known. That
year is the earliest of which record was
found.
@. What is dragoman?-J. j. L.
A. 1t Is a comprehensive designation
applied to anyone who acts as an
intermediary between Europeans and
Orientals, whether as hotel tout or
travellers guide, or as the chief drago-
man of foreign embassy whose func-
tionS may include the carrying on Of
important political negotiations.
Washington Evening Star
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