Evening star., 1940-01-12
Huskin's Answers
To Readers Questions
By Frederic J. H1Skin.


eric J. Haskin, director, Washington,
d. c. Please irclose stamp for reply,
@. What is the Bug Bible?-M. F.
A. The Bug Bible, published in 1851,
was SO called because of the transla-
ton Of Psalm 81, verse 5, which read
afraid Of bugs by night" instead Of
the present reading, terror by night"
@. Please give list of the best nom
fiction of 1939.-W. K. H.
A. The 10 outstanding non-fiction
books of 1889, as selected by Current
History Magazine, are as follows The
Revolution of Nihilism" by Hermann
Rauschning Abraham Lincoln: The
War Years" by Carl Sandburg;
'Thoreau" by Henry Seidel Candy;
america in Midpassage" by Charles
and Mary Beard THE Life of Greece"
by Will Durant; propaganda for War"
by H. c. Peterson; Union Now by
Clarence K. STREET; Inside Asia" by
John Gunther; Days of Our Years" by
Pierre Van Paassen; and Wind Sand
and Stars" by Antoine de Saint Exupery.
@. What is the largest war vessel in
the world?-C. c. A.
A. 1t is the British battle cruiser
Hood which has length of $50 feet
and a beam of los feet.
@. Is there an island called If?-
S. S. c.
A. 1t is a rocky island in the Gulf Of
Marseilles, crowned by a castle, the
Chateau DIFF, which was used as a state
prison. Here were confined Nirabeau
and the Duke of Orleans philippe
Egalite) and others. Dumas in his
Count of Monte Cristo" imprisons his
hero in the chateau.
@. What is january music?-C P. r.
A. This term is applied to music
produced by combination of shrill
wood wind and brass instruments, vari-
Gus kinds of drums, and triangles.
@. Please give the origin of the plant
name begonia.-H. T. P.
A. The flower was named in honor
of Michel Begon 1638-17l0), a French
naval officer and a noted patron of
botany
O. What is the strongest wild
animal?-M. D. H.
A. The Alaskan bull moose is the
most powerful wild animal of North
America He is a fierce and coura-
geous fighter and is a match for any foe.
Specimens attain weights as great as
1,400 pounds and have antlerS which
! measure as much as feet from tip to
tip.
@. How much acreage in California
is devoted to cotton production?-R. H.
A. Cotton production in California
amounted to BAL 900 acres in 1888.
@. What elements does wool contain?
j NJ
| A. According to the American Wool
Handbook. the average composition Of
wool is as follows: Carbon, so per cent;
oxygen, 1922 per cent; nitrogen, 1917
per cent; hydrogen, per cent; sulphur,
ga per cent.
@. At what period was the British
registry mark of a lion above the crown
first used in England?-A. L. E.
A. The lion passant as hallmark on
silver articles was first used in 1874.
From l544-1549 it was crowned. Since
then it has been uncrowned.
@. What is Canary wine?-P. S. D.
A. Canary wine, also known as Tener-
life, is product of the Canary Islands,
the best known being called Bidogne or
| Vidonia, a dry white wine resembling
Madeira 1t is produced chiefly on the
island of Teneriffe The name Canary
was formerly applied generally to dry
white wines which were frequently
seasoned
@. How many foreign agents are reg
! istered with the Government?-W. G.. M.
A. About $50 foreign agents are listed
with the State Department.
@. Are lemons picked when they are
ripe or green?-J. B.
| A. If lemons are allowed to ripen on
the trees they lose their keeping quality,
|
any sign of the yellow covering.
@. What is the fastest airplane in
| the world?-L. E. NJ
A. The fastest airplane in the world is
the Savoia Macbeth No. 70, an Italian
plane. 1t. Francisco Agello flew this
plane at the rate of 44O6 miles per hour
on october %, 1884.
@. How many clearly recognized pure
breeds of dogs are there in the world?
H. T. G.
A. The Dog World says that there are
approximately ITS. The American Ken
mel Club recognizes 100.
Q. Who published the first book in
the United States?-P. K.
A. The first full-sized book published
within the boundaries of what are TODAY
the United States was Stephen Daye's
The Whole Booke of Psalmes Faith
fully Translated Into English Metre"
issued in 1910 by the Cambridge Press.
Cambridge, Mass.
@. What was the Fourteen Diamond
Ring Cases. C. A..
A. A soldier had imported IA diamond
rings from the Philippines into the
United States on which duty was as
sessed and collected This action re-
suited In an appeal to the United States
Supreme Court, which, in 1901. decided