Evening Star Newspaper, April 21, 1929, Page 89

BY REX COLLIER. RESIDENT HOOVER has gath- ered around him one of the most athletic cabinets of history. A survey of the new depart- mental heads discloses a virile, g‘five circle of lovers of outdoor life. ost of whom have distinguished them- ves in various forms of diversion. Himself a leader in the back-to- ature . movement, Mr. Hoover has ed with genuine pleasure of the reational attainments of his official amily. It is a family composed of khamplons of one sort or another, ugh not all of its records have gnized. Here is the list, anyway: Secretary of the Navy Adams, Cup yacht champion. ¥ Postmaster General Brown, Taft Cup tboat champion and, incidentally, laimant of cabinet culinary champlon- ‘ghip. se;fi:’f" r;‘f A:r‘riculture Hyde, tar- n fishing champlon. WSecremry of the Interior Wilbur, #hampion camper and chief challenger ®f Postmaster General’s cooking claims. Secretary of State Stimson and At- $orney General Mitchell, contenders for gabinet hunting championship. Secretary of War Good, dirt farming fhampionship. To which may be added Secretary ont’s non-athletic title of cham- lon etching collector. :~ President Hoover can hold his own 4n virtually every one of these flelds of diversion. While he boasts of no grhnng titles, he is a veteran sailor, whom King Neptune has accorded “the highest position among mortal shellbacks.” Any one who has crossed the Equator can testify that this is a zare tribute, not to be taken lightly. ‘The President received the royal honor when the old man of the sea boarded the U. S. S. Maryland at the Equator during the recent good-will voyage to South America. Mr. Hoover has crossed the Equator 15 times in the past 30 years. He has served as senior officer of a battleship, and he has anned an oar in a rowboat. Only once in all his colorful career &s a sailor has he flinched in the face ©f maritime hazard. It s when a gasoline launch developed fuel leak and caught afire during one of his flood trips in the Mississippi Valley. It was not the danger of the fire nor the im- mminence of a plunge into the muddy waters that daunted him, for he faced these perils with true heroism. The crisis came when, after the blaze had \been extinguished and the boat grounded, the owner of the craft asked the then Secretary of Commerce if he had any chewing gum on him. “Chewing gum?” ejaculated the baffled master of emergencies. “Whn!"p,n earth | do you want chewing gum for “We-ell,” drawled the native as he looked up from the leaky engine. “Ef I had some gum I ¢'d plug this hyah | hole in the tank.” .. “Never mind about that,” replied Mr. .Hocver. “I haven't any gum, anywa, I think we'd better wait until they pring us another boat.” ‘They waited. As for cooking, President Hoover is well qualified not only to umpire any contest between Postmaster General Brown and Secretary Wilbur, but to Join in and make a three-sided tourna- ment of it, should he so desire, Mr. Hoover has had considerable experien with the frying pan while “roughing it” on fishing trips. He flips an egg like a veteran, it is said, and can fry fish to an appetizing crispness. et 'HE President's proficiency as a fish- erman is well known, and Secretary Hyde may be called on to defend his reputation as an angler of big game fish. Mr. Hoover has landed not only tarpon, but sailfish, sharks, dolphins and other large members of the pisca- torial family. His collection of rods, reels and hooks is one of his proudest possessions, and he is constantly add- ing to it. President Hoover and Secretary Wil- bur are oldtime camping partners. They tramped the hills of the Golden ‘West together for years and now that they are enjoying a reunion they ex- SUNDAY STAR, WASHINGTON, ‘Athletic Statesmen Are Gathered in Hoover’s Official Family SECRETARY STICKS To MEANDERS "o NE GOES N For § DELIGHTS IN DINOT DIGGING* pect to take to the woods and moun- (to be an Army tent, they decided to tains again on frequent occasions. postpone the trip until the advent of a The first of these excursions was to | more favorable week end. have taken place last week, but rain | Although the President may not be | sand acres of fertile land in the tract. interfered. Since their only shelter was | a real dirt farmer, he owns a big farm S, D. ©, APRIL 21, (e Lovers of Outdoor LifeA Take Conspicuous Place as Advisers to President—Secretary Wilbur Is Executive’s Old-Time Camping Partner—Secretary Adams a Famous Yachting Champion—Hunting Fishing Take Major Places on List—Golf Neglected. in California, where he grows grapes, |he can handle a rifie when ncu!on[Ameriuns were besieged in the fortl- | travels, however, hd has amassed a re- potatoes, grain and other varieties of | demands. For instance, the story is | fied foreign settlement. products. There are more than a thou- | told of how he made good use of a | gun during the Boxer rebellion in China, | art collector, such as befalls his Secre- | in various lands he has visited. Some of 1929—PART 7. markable assortmerit of art cbjects and Mr. Hoover holds no distinction curios, most of them gifts from friends ;n tg:d Stanford Museum, which he oun 3 All in all, it appears that the cabinet is composed of men whose diversions and hobbies are not far different from those enjoyed by the Chief Executive. Only Secretary Mellon holds back from the cabinet arena of physical activity. This is not because he dislikes exercise, but because he is not so young as he used to be. There was a time when Mr. Mellon rode horseback frequently and took his turn around the golf course, but he has refrained from too strenuous sports of late. He still likes a brisk walk as much as ever, however, and in good weather walks from his office to his * ok ok % ECRETARY ADAMS is America’s most famous racing yacht skipper. He captured the America Cup in 1920 by winning the last three of a series of five spectacdlar races off Sandy Hook. The races claimed front-page space in all of America and Europe for more than a week, for international rivalry of the keenest sort was involved. Capt. Adams piloted the trim Reso- lute. The contending yacht was Sir Thomas Lfpton’s Shamrock IV. The first r: was sailed on July 15, and 1t ended most disastrously for the Ameri- can entry. As the Resolute was geiting well under way a halyard broke, col- lapsing the siil and forcing Capt. Adams to withdraw from the inaugural contest. The Shamrock IV continued the race in easy fashion and was de- clared the winner. Two days later the second race was started, but was called off when neither vessel was able to reach the finish line within a six-hour time limit previously agreed upon. On July 20 the two yachts af set sail, and the English boat came home in front after a five-hour struggle. The Resolute was beaten by 2 minutes and 26 seconds. ‘That made two wins cut of five for the Lipton yacht. She needed but to win the next race to capture the covet- ed cup. “Deacon” Adams faced a dis- couraging handicap, but never for a moment lost hope. The third race was a real thriller, with the sporting world holding its breath to await the outcome. Sailing conditions were greatly i proved and both yachts set a fast pace By skillful maneuvering Skipper Adams nosed steadily ahead of his opponent, and he brought his craft over the line exactly 7 minutes and 1 second ahead of the 8hamrock. The fourth race, two days later, gave Capt. Adams ther opportunity to demonstrate his seamanship to ad- vanizge, and he covered the course in less than three hours and a half. He | reached his goal nearly 10 minutes in advance of Sir Thomas' entry. In the next two starts sailing condi- tions were unfavorable and the races were called off, first because the wind was {00 strong and then because it was too light. The climatic race took placs on Julr 27. The concluding contest left no doubt as to which was the better crafi. The Resclute won by 19 min- utes and 45 seconds, thereby retaining the America Cup on this side of the ' f h becoming modesty, Capt. Adams gzave all the credit for the victory to | his ship and her crew of veteran sea- year Mr. Adams once more an- ed the call of international yacht- to take the helm cf the schooner i the transoceanic race for a d by the King of Spain. All es had a sad time of it with breezes. The Atlantic d for hours, but she man- ‘h Santander. Spain, objec- d place. give up yachting because he is in the cabinet. He disposed of the official Secretary of the Navy's yacht, the h, but he still has cht of his 'n back home in Quincy. Its name is ly the Fourteenth. Vacation time oubtedly will find hi: chting cap end windward as of yore. ®HR )OSTMASTER CENERAL BROWN will mat ort to claim Secre- tary Adams 1 ‘ecnfined his racing He has not done much hunting, put | when he and Mrs. Hoover and other | tary of Commerce. During his far-flung | the most valuable of these now are! (Continued on Sixth Page.) Paper Gardening With Many Advantages Is Boon to Am‘tel,;s HOW THE PAPER MULCH IS APPLIED. BY GENE DAY. PRING days when the sun has warmed the soil so that seeds sprout readily are gardening days in the latitude and longi- tude of the National Capital. Amateurs from Lincoln Park to Cabin John and from Alexandria to Kensing- ton are purchasing seeds and tender plants in large quantities and are ac- cumulating blisters and backaches in s the selfsame in well tilled soil. method or device which elimi- Any fates appreciable hand labor from the : prac sclence of gardening als to the New Labor-Eliminating Cultivation irrigation, scarecrow and Spring soil heater all done up in one package. It is more efficient than.the best hired er in producing early June peas, strawberries, roasting ears ing green stuff for the home lt:bla or Dl’oduem t’l’:: o?“wll:.:flwd wld . table: luc ndid early vegetables with the minh;pum of toil. Lo This business of paper gardening was tionary and unorthodox that s Ba ented in secret for ecking b:xx:ui r;fshecung thods and results, before repre- %ufivu made public the amazing facts which they had combed from their A, I ST ot ive homes in the interim to 'HE United States Department of Agriculture was the pathfinder of ning in_the %‘euhborhood the Potomac flows down to tide- Telated information forma e viopay s straw re seen e in Florida ccessfully In cases the paper applicat over paper, decided gardeni is held in place 1 soll, clods or | TN view of these facts, it is preferable | beets. e £l :. staples twhewv:wlr”:%nhel m’be! they un:"v.h:l‘:vmm hunrdminxm‘dm of hea paj lore ot B S e Pl BT B Svho mad p berries grown su Experts of Agricultural Department Is to Be Widely Practiced by Backyard Gardeners of Washington. PAPER MULCH ELIMINATES ALL GARDEN CULTIVATION. ‘The r used is ordinary impervi- | and long enough so that they can ous bhgltp:smmlc building paper placed [ be anchored securely in the ground. commonly in building practice under- | It is an advisable practice to plant corn neath composition singles or sheathing. | at the side of the garden toward which It costs $1.50 a roll, which will cover | the prevailing winds blow. The corn 500 square feet of garden area, This | will then act as a windbreak, which will grade of paper comes in only one | aid in keeping the paper in proper posi- width—namely, 3 feet. However, it is a | tion, simple matter to cut the rolls into 1%-| Where the garden is papered when foot widths for use on the closer-|the seed is planted, rapid germination planted row vegetables such as beets, | is expedited. ents have demon- carrots, lettuce and radishes, The paper |strated that the soil under the papered is durable for one gardening season in area is generally from 5 to 10 degrees the neighborhood of Washington. It (warmer than that in adjoining gardens can best be allowed to rot on the ground wh!dlmsumwfi:db During a cold, | will take after the vegetable season is over. backward aper mulch aids A simple :;:wm is to plant the garden | measurably in enabling the amateur as usual and to apply the paper after | gardener to secure a good stand of the vegetables are several inches high. | vegetables from one planting. It speeds The paper is unrolled by hand, so that | s¢ed sprouting and also improves con- it covers the s between each two | ditions for bacterial action in the soil. rows of vegetables. Each yow of vege-} And the bacterla as any experienced tables will occupy from 11 fo 2 inches | gardener will tell you, are the home of unpapered soil, according to this|growers best friends, for they serve as arrangement, which has well served the | ‘chefs” who prepare the plant food so purposes of some half- ‘Washing- | that the growing green crops will eat ton ers who tested it last season. | and relish it. after tion * ok ok x span the paper seed or set out Method Developed by Government cabbage, sweet potato and the like. The easiest method is to start at one PAPERED CORN WHEN SIX WEEKS OLD. side of the garden and work toward the Apply one roll of paper length- Plant your first | vegetables for his home table and for canning p this Summer without tieing all his spare time to the aproi strings of his dooryard garden. He can play golf or watch Walter Johnson lead the Senators to victory on the diamond, or bathing, while the wise of the garden. row of corn along the inside edge of the paper. Leave a 2-inch space for the corn row between the first a) of paper and the second. entire garden Oof wué;e t is & rather laborious and muleh guards his eliminates all hand cultivation an growth, while it also con- serves soil moisture and maintains sub- surface conditions ideal for beneficial hired | bacterial action. During dry drot seasons such as visit the District every once in:so often, the paper sys- ys the most attrac- present it acts as a sort of simulated ir- rigation system to carry the water to the vital spots where it will accomplish the most good. Local gardeners, as a rule, pay an- nual tribute in seed to blackbirds, crows, pigeons, stray poultry and other winged robbers. Where the garden is papered, such seed losses pass from the picture. The paper acts as an efficient scarecrow. The birds are shy of the garden treated with paper. They linger in that vicinity, watch the gar- ! dener plant his seed, but are timid about staging a plundering expedition. They “smell a mouse,” s0 to say, and fear that, n bait or snare have been “planted” for their extermination. By the time the more venturesome biras alight on the paper the seeds have ht rainfalls are ' for the to pick the first peas, radishes, beans or | drains directly available can pro- germinated and the tender plants are poking their heads through the soll. * ok oxx . Tn writer rigged up a handy little contraption for applying the paj to the garden from a couple of Jfif (Continued on Seventh Page.)