Evening star., 1942-02-22
BY JACQUES FUTRELLE, Jr,
Travel Editor.

Scribblings: Trailerites, those mo-
toriStS who suffered blow so or 100
per cent greater than the ordinary
highway traveller, are having their
bout with war produced rumors. The
Tin Can Tourists of the World, Or
ganized in 1920, forced a number of
stories to run the gantlet at their
convention in Tampa, Fla, and de-
lighted in knocking them down. One
was that trailer travellers were not
allowed in Florida. Well, there they
were. Gas tanks were full, giving
the answer to the claim that the
fuel was scarce in Florida. Then
came the report that trailers with
aluminium or light colored tops would
have to be darkened to conform with
blackout regulations. This one was
buried with delight by the royal chief
of the organization.
The beauty of Middleton gardens,
famed Charleston, s. c., scenic re-
treat now coming into spring bloom,
saved the estate from pillage by the
British when they took over the area,
for a fieeting phase in history, in
the Revolutionary War. Like the
colonists, who saw the great gardens
grow under wealth of man power,
the British officers took fancy to
the formal landscaping on the Ash
ley River and used the Middleton
plantation as a place for relaxation.
One of the lakes, Yards Pond, owes
its name to an incident in the war.
Trapped in the grounds, an Ameri-
can officer was discovered and was
chased by English forces. He escaped
through the cypress-stained waters.
A series of short tootS on the train S
whistle is the warning for persons
or animals on the tracks.
Inquiries of tourists in Mexico into
the mysteries of the jumping bean
have caused the Mexican Tourist
Association to issue a news release
which explains the lively kernel in
this manner:
The bean itself Is the fruit OF a
shrub which is named, in scientific
parlance, Sebastiana pavoniana. The
Indians call the bush "mincapatl." !"
The larva of the butterfly of the
Tortricidae family makes its home
in the bean, eating the contents and
covering the inner surface OF the
bean with a web. When the sun
warns the bean, the larva stretches
itself, shooting out its head and It's
chest-feet and anterior body-feet.
These strike the walls of the bean
violently and the agitation turns an
otherwise well-mannered bean into
a cavorting jumping beam"
In a similar vein, the State OF
New Mexico has broadcast the rea-
son why the trembling aspen"
trembles. The tree each year is hon.
ored by the State with a special
Aspen Week, early in october, when
the leaves, unlike those of aspens
in other climes, turn a golden yellow
or orange instead of pale yellow.
Better known among the legends as
to why the leaves of this particular
tree tremble at the slightest provo
cation is that the wood of the tree
was used at the Cruciflxion on
Calvary. But the answer lies in the
fact that the leaves have fiat stems.
A cast of 400, including famous
skaters, will take part in the annual
ice show of the Toronto Skating
Club in Toronto's Maple Leaf Gar
dens scheduled to open March 9 and
run for five days. First staged IS
years ago, the carnival is a fore
runner of today's popular ice shows.
Shell collectors stream to Winter
Park, in Florida, for in the Beal-
Maltbie Museum of Rollins College
Is one of North Americas greatest
exhibits of sea shells. Source of
many of the shells are the famous
sands of Sanibel and Captiva
Islands, off Fort Myers, where sea
shell show is scheduled for February
27 and %.
The Hale America" Invitational
Ski Tournament has been scheduled
for the week end of February 28-A
March l at Buck Hill Falls, In the
PoconoS.
With Atlantic City's Miss Amer
lea" pageant more than six months
away, Miami is making final prepa-
rations. for the choosing Of Miss
Florida" at March l competitions at
the Miami Biltmore pool. Plans are
being made to squeeze some 1000
spectators into the pools stadium to
watch nearly 200 girls compete for
the title.
Arguing that 1t will offer the
most baseball" DAytona Beach hAS