Evening Star Newspaper, October 1, 1936, Page 8

THE EVENING STAR With Sunday Morning Edition. WASHINGTON, D. C. Y. October 1, 1936 —_— THEODORE W. NOYES...........Editor _— The Evening Star Newspaper Company. Business Office: 531 ve. 2nd St. uilding omicago Offce Lake Michigan 0 Omoe: 14 Condon. Engiand. European Office: 14 Regent St.. Lon Rate by Carrier Within the City. Regular Editl The Evenine Star__ he Evening and Sund; (when 4 Sundays) The Evening and Sunday Star (when 5 Sunday, Star__. Night Final Edition, -45c per month tional 5000. Rate by Mail—Payable in Advance. Maryland and Virginla, 1 mo., 85c n d ‘L $10.01 B 43 5 8o unday only. $6.00; 1 mo.. $4.00; 1 mo.. 40c Al Other States and Canada. fly and Sunday..1 yr.. $12.00: 1 mo. $1.00 aily “only__ 17 "gon: 1 mol” zse Sunday onlyZ 1yr; $500; 1 mo. b60c Member of the Associated Press. “The Assoclated Press is exclusively entitled to the use for republication of all news dispatches eredited to it or not otherwise credited in this paper and also the local news published herein, All_rights of publication of special dispatches herein are also reserved. —_— The President on Isms. _ It is not believed that many intelligent American citizens regayd the President as a communist or think of him as in sympathy with Communism any more “than they believe the members of Con- .gress who voted for the measures he advocated are communists. It was not necessary for the President to cite at “Syracuse his own fine record as a useful American in order to bury, as he puts it, the red herring of Communism. And if it be true that many communists are sup- porting the President in his campaign for re-election, not as an end but as & means to an end, the President chose the only immediately available method of disavowing such embarrassing mani- festations of aid from the comrades by & vigorous and unqualified repudiation of their support. The President really came closest to discussing what many people regard as the communist issue, or the isms issue in his simple yet sound defii- nition of Communism as a “mani- festation of the social unrest which always comes with widespread economic maladjustment.” The same definition applies with equal truth to Fascism and to the various other isms which we like to regard as alien. But the soil in which such ideas sprout is not neces- garily alien. It may produce Com- munism or Facism or Nazism but it is fundamentally the same soil. The President’s thesis is that the Democratic party, under this admin- istration, is improving the soil in America by a process that makes it less apt to sprout these detested alien ideas. The administration’s motives, in this respect, may be considered as above reproach. But its methods come under attack. The President is correct in say- ing that “there is no difference between the two parties as to what they think about Communism.” But there is a fundamental difference of opinion over the most effective methods of sterilizing the soil, preventing the growth of com- munism or of some American form of ism as yet unborn and unnamed. There are a great many people, for {nstance, who fear the increasing ex- pansion of government, its steady growth in authority and functions and its ten- dency toward competition with the pri- vate enterprise of its citizens. The President may say with all sincerity at Philadelphia that “we seek not merely to make government a mechanical im- plement, but to give it the vibrant, per- sonal character that is the embodiment of human charity.” But there are others who prefer what they regard as George Washington's more realistic view tiat “Government is not reason, is not elo- quence—it is force! Like fire it is a dangerous servant and a fearful master; never for a moment should it be left to irresponsible action.” The leaders in Fascist Italy, Nazi Germany or Com- munist Russia doubtless regard govern- ment there as the embodiment of all human wisdom and charity, exercised for the common good. But that does not make it so. To heap responsibility upon govern- ment is to clothe it with increasing power and force, exercised not only through regulatory powers but through the expenditures of vast sums of money. There are many who see such expendi- tures authorized in the name of suffering humanity who have difficulty in dis- tinguishing suffering humanity from po- litical expediency, designed to strengthen the force of government and reliance on government, Entirely aside from the occasional policies which might be leniently construed as trying to kill Com- munism with & dose of its own medicine, fiscal policies of the government have created doubt and uncertainty simply because those policies if continued un- changed can only end in calamity—and they continue unchanged. “Economic maladjustment” may re- gult from long continued depressions, continued extravagant governmental expenditures, destruction of private en- terprise through taxation or over-regu- lation. It may come from bitter indus- trial strife, fomented by unwise promises or appeals to prejudice. It may result from other causes. There is no issue in the desire to prevent continued economic maladjustments and its accompaniments. The method to be chosen makes the issue. - A Vast Fortune. Judged even by American standards and considered in terms popularly asso- ciated with such plutocratic names as ‘Vanderbilt, Astor, Rockefeller, Morgan, Mellon and Ford, an estate just probated in Great Britain is a noteworthy event in the annals of great wealth. It repre- sents the fortune left by the late Sir John Ellerman, Britain's foremost ship- ping mu!nu. who passed away three years ago.- First valued at only $85,000,000, the property was later assessed at $125,000,000 and this week was finally resworn at $185,000,000, constituting by far the largest fortune that has ever gone into the British records. It must be almost the biggest estate ever amassed by any European commoner, though sometimes the riches controlled by that mysterious master of munitions, Sir Basil Zaharoff, is estimated at an astronomical figure far in excess of the Ellerman estate. In Britain's Indian empire there are rajahs who are credit>d with fabulous piles mounting into the hundreds of millions. The Aga Khan, th& sporting potentate who is the spiritual head of the Ismaili Mahommedans, also ranks as & Midas. The estate of Sir John Ellerman, which, wigh eventual inclusion of foreign holdings not yet probated, is expected to aggregate well over $200,000,000, has been a welcome windfall to the British exchequer. Already it has paid some $75,000,000 in death duties, and addi- tional taxes are in sight. Ellerman’s life reads like a Horatio Alger story. It was the career of a typically self-made man of the sort more commonly encountered in the United States than in Europe. The English-born son of a German clerk employed in London’s “city,” he began to carve out his business existence at an accountant’s desk. Before he was thirty, Ellerman was the possessor of a substantial competence and by middle life had acquired a shipping line of a hundred vessels from the company in whose offices his father was once a humble bookkeeper. He was knighted in pre-war days for his services to the British mercantile marine. At his death, in 1933, he was the controlling owner of four globe-girdling lines. Sir John had latterly interested him- self in newspaper ownership and other industries, but his proudest boast was that the Ellerman flag flew over a large percentage of all British shipping. The simplest of multi-millionaires, he is said to have spent less than a fifth of his income on himself. As to how much of his vast fortune is to be devoted to philanthropic purposes, details have not reached this country. Prosperity Issue. All parties and all candidates are prone to claim credit for any measure of eco- nomic good fortune which providentially may be the .ot of the people. It is an ancient trick, worn thin by generations of use. Yet it happens that it is con- stantly open to challenge and correction. Political interference generally is any- thing but helpful to business. Trade as a rule needs independence, and the same observation may be made for agriculture, manufacturing and transportation. The proper function of Government is to act as referee, if and when invited. When the State takes sides, chaos follows, and confusion, as history proves, leads to poverty. So it may be wondered if the current wave of prosperity is justly to be at- tributed to the “economic planning’ of the New Deal. Many competent authori- ties believe that “good times” would have returned much earlier if the opportunity afforded by the depression had not been seized upon by reformers. Their opinion is entitled to as much consideration at the hands of the public as that of Presi- dent Roosevelt and the Brain Trust to the contrary effgct. A century hence it should be possible to decide equitably between the two schools of thought. Meanwhile, it should be remembered that Federal programs to “prime the pump” have to be paid for by the wage- earners of the country. The question then arises as to whether or not a synthetic degree of improvement is worth its cost. Plainly, as former Con- . troller General McCarl has said, an un- balanced budget is a national liability and unguarded spending is an inevitable prelude to universal bankruptcy. The debt burden already forced upon the people is a handicap which retards the pace of their progress. If it is increased, it sooner or later must result in a com- plete halt.. Too much of the money now in circulation has been borrowed, and too much of the theoretical prosperity of the present moment can be traced to the device whereby the administration sold out the future for a temporary, adven- turous and deceptive partisan advantage. The New Deal from the beginning has wished to boast of its benefactions. It has educated vast numbers of voters into believing that it could give them—in fact, was giving them—something for nothing. Rational citizens ‘realized at the start that a delusion was involved. The prob- lem now is to what extent that knowledge has been democratized. If the electorate still is deceived on November 3, it must suffer four more years of reformation, extravagance and mismanagement. Such is the conservative position. The radicals mock at its logic. To them prosperity is something handed down to the masses by their governors. They will not concede that genuine economic advancement is a natural growth, a fruit of unhampered toil Hoesier Dogberrys. Terre Haute, Indiana, gets on the political map by the action of its Mayor and police chief, who have caused the arrest of Earl Browder, candidate of the Communist party for the office of Presi- dent, because he has undertaken to make a speech in that city. And Earl Browder gets his reward in more publicity than would' ever have been accorded him if this action had not been taken, Pub- licity is just what the Communist can- didate wants. He got it down in Geor- gia, where he had s similar trouble, But | for these occasional displays of zeal on the part of parochial officials the coun- try would hardly be aware of.the fact that there is 8 Communist ticket in the paesidential field ‘this year. ' Communism as a hypothesis of gov- ernment is more in evidence this year than ever before, largely because of the foolishness - of -the - petty authorities. Happily they do not constitute the body of official opinion. There is no serious danger to the established form of gov- ernment in the United States in the sporadic undertakings of wrong-minded partisans of a radical change in the mode ‘I of administration of the affairs of the Nation. There is less danger, if any exists, in & policy of tolerance. Public meetings and expoundings of the doc- trines of Communism are indeed largely self-corrective. The real danger to the fundamental institutions of the American common- wealth lies not in the espousal by groups so smgll as to weigh scarce a feather's worth* in the electoral scales of the doc- trine of Communism. It lies in the di- vergence of the larger groups of the political divisions toward the lefc. No gag can be put upon the expounders of the doctrines of the new “liberalism” who are enrolled in the ranks of advo- cates of that form of the more abundant life that is promised in the name of democracy—not necessarily spelled with a capital. The officials of Terre Haute might well read their Shakespeare. They might profit from perusal of the text of the play “Much Ado About Nothing,” in which appears that delectable character Dogberry, described as “chief constable.” Certain persons are haled before him, charged with an offense which is not clearly defined. One of them calls him an ass. Responds Dogberry: “Dost thou not suspect my place? Dost thou not suspect my years? O that he were here to write me down an ass! But, masters, remember that I am an ass. Though it be not written down, yet for- get not that I am an ass!” The “chief constable” of Terre Haute, and perhaps the Mayor of that city, should forthwith refresh their memories of the Bard of Avon—who is doubtless fairly well known in the literary belt of Indiana—and reflect upon the fact that Dogberry did not, after all, represent the intelligence of his own land, even as they do not represent the intelligence of America. ———————— Doctors and professors are being eagerly observed to see whether they can bring the full dinner pail into as prominent attention as the full manu- script. ————————— Money is to some extent a matter of opinion. A gentleman's agreement con- cerning it may lack force unless sanc- tioned by the proletariat. ———t——————— In politics a Communist resembles “One-Eyed Connolly,” who was never invited, but nevertheless managed to crash the gate. ————————— No book on Communism can show testimonials to the effect that it ever cured anything. Shooting Stars. BY PHILANDER JOHNSON. ‘Wanderlust. The old moon fades and still prepares The flight of time to mark. A monitor of mortal cares And fortunes bright or dark. In one more month we'll meet the test, All voters poor or rich, And face the Worst or else the Best Nor know precisely which. I heard the robins’ jaunty trill So confident and clear; Irreconcilable, it still Sounds forth a note of cheer. Not of the Future or the Past He tells. He says to me This world will prove from first to last As it was Meant to Be. While faces greet me with a smile And words seem very wise, I long to journey for a while Beneath the silent skies. From dazzling light and noisy shout A respite I would win; My eyes are tired of looking out, My ears of listening in. Speeches and Automobiles. “Do you remember the speech you made on this subject years ago?” “Perfectly,” answered Senator Sor- ghum. “Your latest speech is different.” “Of course. It's a 1936 model. Every yéar brings imprqvements.” Economics. Oh, nations in the distant lands, ‘Whose happiness seems small, Why don't you build yourselves grand stands And learn to play base ball? Why let your mind be troubled by ‘The value they allot To paper. For a ticket try. It's worth just all you've got. ©Oh, brethren who so distant dwell, Let happier days befall. Why don't you take a breathing spell And learn to play base ball? Deep Dyed Mystery. “Who is the lady with splendid auburn locks?” inquired the dazzled youth. “She belongs to the Secret Service,” sand Miss Cayenne. “And, by the way, those locks are imitation.” “I understand; deawing a red hairing over a trail.” “My neighbor, Hi Hat, is distant of manner,” sald Hi Ho, the sage of China- town, “and I am grateful, for he thus assures me that he means to persuade me into making no further doans.” Precedence. Election day again draws nigh And with renewed elation To solve the problems we will try That have distressed the Nation. There are some customs that displease, Opinions are divided, . But ere we settle things like these Base ball must be decided.. o § “A fortune teller,” said Uncle Eben, “told me to bet.on & hoss. De hoss won, wzar_mwunmimwmm- different; which is another of dose things ‘tain’ no use tryin’ to explain.” & 1 THE POLITICAL MILL BY G. GOULD LINCOLN. CHICAGO, Ill, October 1.—President Roosevelt, in his speech Tuesday night, sought to lay the red issue which his opponents have raised against him. It's dollars to doughnuts, however, that his opponents have no intention of letting the matter drop there. Republicans out here today insisted that what the Presi- dent said could not undo the fact that the Democrats in New York, including Chairman James A. Farley of the Demo- cratic National Committee, have put David Dubinsky, a Radical-Socialist, and Sidney Hillman, another radical, on the list of Roosevelt presidential electors in the Empire State. Not only have these men been on the list of electors, but they have been so placed that they are to represent upstate districts. This is giving some of the Republicans a laugh out here. They maintain that this is a real break for the G. O. P. in the State with 47 electoral votes. * X ¥ % The labor division of the Republican National Committee, following the President’s declaration that he repudi- ated communistic - and anti-American support, put out a statement declaring that “actions speak louder than words.” How, it said, “does the President reconcile his acts of the last four years with his repudiation of communism? While he repudiates communism, he has rétained in his administration men like Tugwell, the so-called parlor pinks, the philosoph- ical Communists, and given them carte blanche permission to perpetuate the communistic system upon the American people. Remember Tugwell's famous ‘Il roll up my sleeves and make over America.’” It seems very evident that the Repub- licans do not intend to let up in hammer- ing the New Dealers because, they say, they are out to re-elect Roosevelt. The President’s address, as it came over the radio, was a hard-hitting, vigor- ous affair. It sounded, however, rather on the defensive. Incidentally, it was pointed out here today, it is a most unusual thing for a President of the United States to have to announce to the American people that he is a foe to communism. It will be interesting to ;Lhow the radicals take his denuncia- * %ok X Gov. Landon, the Republican presi- dential nominee. continues to bombard the Roosevelt social security act—not for what it attempts to do, but because it puts the burden on the workers of America. Landon proposes to go ahead with social security and old-age pensions through the medium of direct taxes widely distributed, instead of levying taxes on the wage earners and pay rolls, He holds that such a plan as that contained in the existing law, which ultimately is figured to raise a reserve fund of $50,000,000,000, is an imposition on the working man and woman. If Landon can get this line of attack through to the workers, it is likely to have considerable effect. The taxing of labor for this fund does not begin until the first of the year. * x % % There is no slightest doubt that the greatest peril to Republican .hopes at present lies in the strong tendency of labor to vote for the re-election of President Roosevelt. The workers feel that the President is “for them.” To break into this pro-Roosevelt alignment is the task to which the G. O. P. has set itself for the remainder of the cam- paign. The Republicans feel that such attacks as that made by Landon on the social security act may prove effective. While the Republicans are working hard to regain the votes of labor, they are not overlooking the farmers. Indeed, it is to the farmers that the G. O. P. at pres- ent is looking for assistance in the great States of the Middle West—Ohio, Indi- ana, Illinois, Iowa, etc—to pull the Republican national ticket through. They must have these farmers’ votes to offset the majorities which Roosevelt is expected to roll up in the great indus- trial centers, New York, Chicago, Detroit, Cleveland, Columbus and the like in other States. In their drive for the farm vote the Republicans run up against the Roosevelt arguments that farm prices are higher than they have been for years, and also against the cash benefits which the Roosevelt administra- tion has poured out in hundreds of millions of dollars to the farmers. It is a tough battle which the G. O. P. is engaged in. There are indications, how- ever, that the farmers are sliding back in considerable numbers to their old allegiance to the Republican party. * % X X Former Gov. Frank O. Lowden of Illi- nois, regarded for years as a friend of the farmer, is taking up the cudgels actively for Landon. He is going -to speak for the national ticket not only in Illinois but in some of the other farm States of this section of the country. Lowden’s support, actively given, is ex- pected to have its effect among the farmers, for they have respect for Lowden and rely upon his judgment. The crop curtailment program of the Roosevelt administration has rankled a great many of the farmers, even though they have been paid for not tilling their fields. George Peek, who supported and was part of the Roosevelt administration, has swung all the way over and is now out for Landon. Peek has had many con- tacts with the farmers for years. * ok kX From Nebraska comes the report that Senator George W. Norris, independent candidate for the Senate, is by no means happy over his situation. Terry Car- penter, who won the Democratic nom- ination for the Senate, swears by all that 1s holy he will go through with the sena- torial campaign and gather in as many Democratic votes as he possibly can. This splits the Norris support to some degree, and gives aid and comfort to former Representative Bob Simmons, the Republican candidate. 2 ‘While Norris is having his troubles in Nebraska, Senator McNary of Oregon, Republican leader of the Senate, is meet- ing with considerable opposition from the Townsendites. McNary, however, is a resourceful politician and it will come as a distinct surprise if he should be defeated in his effort for re-election. * X % % Tonight President Roosevelt speaks in Pittsburgh and over the air to the radio audience. And tonight, also, Al Smith, THIS AND THAT BY CHARLES E, TRACEWELL, the Far West may cut ‘amount of food put out for in the District of Colum- Maryland and Virginia. of baby chick feed, will join them. Dealers in the past have been able to sell the chicken feeds, liked by wild birds, at reduced prices in larger quanti- ties, whereas they declared that this was impossible with the seed mixtures, as the prices they were forced to pay for it precluded this. In the event that the standard price of wild bird seed and grain mixtures, ranging from 6 to 10 cents per pound, is forced upward many persons interested in feeding the birds which Winter in this vicinity will be confronted with something of a dilemma. They either must feed only for part of the day or not for such a long season. This will apply, of course, to those per- sons who, interested in the birds beyond s superficial and passing fancy, made a real business of catering to their wants. * % % x If several feeding stations are put in operation in one yard scorces of birds will come to it each day. In an amazingly short space of time they look to the yard and its food and come every day, bringing others from time to time. Thus the amount of seed several score or several hundred birds can consume in three or four months is nothing short of amazing, almost unbelievable, to those persons who merely put out a few bread crumbs now and then. We have seen the carefully kept rec- ords of one bird lover and know that he used more than 400 pounds of grain from Thanksgiving through the month of March. This feed, of various types, cost him more than $30. While it may seem a rather large bill, to some, in its favor it can be stated that it furnished all-day amusement to an entire family for four months. This sum of money gave a very high type of amusement to the inmates of that home from 7 o'clock in the morning to about 5 o'clock in the afternoon, or evening, as some call it. - They felt sure that the same amount of money scarce could have been put into anything else which would have brought as much pleasure to them and good to others—namely, the birds. This good, in benefiting the birds, is extended to agriculture, which is pro- tected by the Spring and Summer eat- ing habits of the songsters in devouring enormous quantities of insects which are harmful to crops. * x x * - Yet, if there is an appreciable rise prices of grains and seeds, as used in wild bird food mixtures, many persons will begin to feel that something must be done about it. They will not want to give over helping the birds. It is too picturesque, too in- teresting an amusement and too helpful to the songsters to give over. In order that the budget may be kept down they may resort to shortening the feeding season or feeding for a part of the day only. Also, they may experiment with the cheaper sorts of feeds, notably those used in chicken feeding. STARS, MEN AND ATOMS Netebook of Science Progress in Field, Laboratory and Study. BY THOMAS R. HENRY. Growing demands—especially fem- inine—for the mild cigarette are spur- ring plant breeders on the trail of low nicotine tobacco. Nicotine is the alkaloid in the tobacco leaf which is responsible for its stimu- lating effects. The relative amount present in any variety is determined in part by the environment of the plant, the method of culture, and the curing process. There is, however, a notable and highly complex hereditary factor. Nearly 30 years ago botanists of the Bureau of Plant Industry, experimenting with Cuban tobacco, secured two strains in which the nicotine content of the leaves contained less than one-third as much nicotine as most varieties grown in North America. They were poor growers, however, and at that time there was no demand which would justify them commercially. Recently, according to the genetics monograph just issued by the Depart- ment of Agriculture, strains of Cuban to- bacco containing an exceedingly low con- tent of nicotine as well as cigarette strains moderately low in the alkaloid have been produced at the Kaiser Wil- helm Institute in Germany. At present the Bureau of Plant Industry is working in co-operation with the Pennsylvania Agricultural Experiment Station to pro- duce low nicotine strains by hybridiza- tion of local varieties with the Cuban strains, and with the Maryland station by hybridization with the highly interesting varieties of that State. The plant breeders have come to the conclusion that breeding of low nicotine tobacco strains is possible. According to present’ commercial standards, however, the nicotine content is not taken into account by buyers and before the new strains would become commercially use- ful manufacturers would have to de- velop a speclal market for new brands of mild tobacco products. The Southern Maryland tobacco strains, according to the genetics hand- book, are of particular interest to the plant breeder. When John Rolfe, hus- band of Pocahontas, started the com- mercial culture of tobacco in. Virginia in 1612 he probably grew a specal plant na- tive to Virginia and cultivated for many generations by his wife’s ancestors. But within a few years this so-called nico- tinia rustica was entirely supplanted by —_— Smith has abandoned the straight and narrow path of liberalism and support of the common man? * x ok % 3 Smith is to come to Chicago for a speech later in the month. In 1928, when he was a presidential candidate, Smith | had a great following in Chicago. But the New Dealers say that Smith has lost all, ‘feeding in cold and snow, when they Although bird feeding has been car- ried on by some persons for years, it is an activity which the people as a group have not taken up. More and more every year, however, the plain people of the country are tak- ing to it, with the result that many hard- ware stores and the like which sell seed mixtures as a side line have found that their seed business is most helpful. ‘When more 8nd more persons take up this entirely wholesome amusement, of such vast help to the birds which Winter in a community, a great deal more atten- tion will be given to the sorts of seeds and grains used in the mixtures. Experiments conducted by many per- song will show, as has not been shown to date, just which seeds the birds really like and which they do not. It may be that in this way the prices of the mixtures may be kept down so that persons of modest means will not feel that they are doing something highly extravagant by being kind to their little friends in the cold and snow. * k x x For instance, almost all mixtures con- tain rape seed. Rape may be good seed for cage birds, but it is not a favorite of wild birds, by any means. Yet those who put out these mixtures go right ahead putting it in, despite the fact that purchasers continue to tell them that every time they fill their feeders they take out a layer of rape seed an-| inch thick. The birds have turned it down. Similarly, the large Canadian peas, supposed to be a favorite of game birds, such as partridges and the like, are placed in many mixtures intended for such birds as the cardinal, chickadee and nuthatch. Rape and Canadian peas had better be left out of mixtures intended for birds which will stay in this vicinity during the Winter. After all, unless one lives in the woods or very suburban districts, few partridges come roaming along. We have seen but one covey out our way in six years. * % X % A small quantity of sand might better be incorporated in an average bird seed mixture, rather than seeds and grains the birds will not eat. Some mixtures, as sold, do not contain one of the prize favorites of the car- dinals, among the finest of the birds ;:';uch Winter in Washington and vicin- We refer to sunflower seed. Cost is the explanation. Yet no mixture with- out some proportion of sunflower seed can be regarded as complete in any sense. * % ¥ X It will be possible to cut down on the feed bill by using only one feeding de- vice instead of several, and particularly by feeding only part of the day. In the latter case, probably the best time would be in the morning. As for seasonal cuts, these may be accomplished by putting off intensive feeding until late in the Autumn or, if no snow falls, until December itself. The most help is given the birds by need food to keep them warm, above all. The most beautiful bird pictures are given in the snow, on icy, terrible days, when birds by the score, even by ths hundreds, make a sight never to be for- gotten and never to be seen unless you | feed them on a scale consistent with their true needs. a species of tobacco whose seeds were imported from the West Indies and which gave a better yield and flavor. There were two varieties of this species—the Aronoka and the sweet- scented. The former gave rise to the fobaccos grown in Virginia and over most of the United States today. The latter, is is believed, survives in the Southern Maryland tobacco and in the Kentucky burley, a sport from the Mary- land strain. It has distinctive proper- ties which distinguish it from all other types, including its low nicotine conient, reddish-brown color, and excellent burn- ing qualities, which make it especially valuable in cigarette blends. It seems to resemble, according to the genetics report, the sweet-scented grown in early Colonial days in Virginia, as far as can be judged from early frag- mentary descriptions of the latter, al- though as now grown it is not outstand- ingly fragrant. A peculiar form of the Maryland, discovered a few years ago, is of exceptional interest because of its vegetative vigor and the very large num- ber of leaves it produces under Mary- land conditions. It appeared as a mutation. Normally it does not blossom during the growing season. Since flowering and fruiting represent the final stages in the maturing of the tobacco plant, and since development of terminal flowers prevents further up- ward growth, this tobacco may be thought of as continuing growth indefi- nitely, since it never reaches biological maturity. It was largely through study of this peculiar behavior that the phe- nomenon of photo-periodism,.or effect of the length of day on growth, was discovered by Department of Agriculture scientists. Under suitable conditions, says the Department of Agriculture report, this variety is capable of producing large growths of high quality tobacco. Two recent crosses, one with a black rot resistant strain, make it much more promising as a commercial crop. Quite a different ‘problem for the breeder is the production of a high nicotine tobacco. The alkaloid, as is well known, is a virulent poison and is used in large quantities for the control of certain insects, particularly the aphis, and for control of mange or scab on sheep and cattle. The retail price of nicotine is now a deterrent to its use. It is obtained almost entirely from stems of low-grade leaf. There is a promising possibility of obtaining a strain so high in nicotine that it will be profitable to grow it for the alkaloid alone. The best results ‘thus far have been obtained from the Indians and preserved by European growers. Cultivation for nicotine would ‘be profitable, the plant breeders believe, if they can obtain a disease-resistant variety which will produce anything more than 200 pounds per acre of pure nicotine. Up to date, such a production has been obtained only in exceptional cases. Inqlfllll‘ yc Prom the Wilkes-Barre (Pa.) Times-Leader. Those who chafe about inequalities, ‘| unequal distribution and the rest of it, and think that no matter what the cir- cumstances they should get what is com- ing to them, ought to rememer that in cases it is lucky that they do not %hmfluwm ANSWERS TO QUESTIONS BY FREDERIC J. HASKIN. A reader can get the answer to any question of fact by writing The Evening Star Information Bureau, Frederic J. Haskin, Director, Washington, D. C. Please inclose stamp for reply. Q. What is meant by the five-cent se- ries?—W. J. A. This has reference to a world series in which all games are played within subway distance of New York City. Q. What do the letters P. A. C. S. mean when used after the names of persons who served in the Civil War?—E. M. A. The letters P. A. C. 8. stand for Provisional Army, Confederate States. Q. Are there many injuries and deaths in the C. C. C. camps?—S. J. A. A recent report shows that the death rate in the Civilian Conservation Corps for the last fiscal year was 197 per thousand men, and the injury rate 118 per thousand. Q. Who was the first President to use the word administration with reference to his term of office?—E. G. A. George Washington introduced “ad- ministration” in its United States polit- ical sense in his farewell address of 1796. Q. What is the Cisalpine Republic?— H. R A. This name was given to the short- lived state in Northern Italy which Na- poleon created in 1797, to include Lom- bardy, the duchies of Parma and Modena and some parts of Venetia and the papal states. In 1802 it took the name of the Italian Republic, choosing Napoleon as President; in 1805 Napoleon transformed it into the kingdom of Italy, with him- self as King, a status it held until 1814. Q. Is it proper to send engraved cards acknowledging messages of condolence or flowers sent upon the death of a relative?>—H. L. M. A. Such cards should never be sent to intimate friends or to those who have sent flowers or written personal notes. Q. What newspaper in the United States is most modern in typographic make-up?—E. H. M. A. Gilbert P. Farrar, typographic ex- pert, describes the Los Angeles Times as the first streamlined newspaper in Amer- ica. Its modernization consists of new body type, new head type and a new style of make-up. Q. Where was the first gasoline tax in the United States?>—C. G. A. The first gasoline tax imposed was in Oregon, on February 25, 1919. Q. Of what nationality is Leopold Stokowski?—E. M. A. The conductor was born in London, of Polish and Irish parentage. Q. Please give a list of great writers who were poor conversationalists?—E. W, A. Oliver Goldsmith was described thus by one of his contemporaries: “He wrote like an angel and talked like poor poll.” La Fontaine, Marmontel and Cor= neille were all singularly deficient in the powers of conversation. Dante was trite and taciturn. Addison was shy and stiff in society. Butler was a dull conversa- tionalist, and Rousseau and Milton were unsocial. Q. How old is Beatrice Lillie and where was she born?—E. H. W. A. The commedienne was born Toronto, Canada, in 1898. at Q. Which has more vitamin content, orange or tomato juice? Is this lost if the juices stand?—J. L. A. Orange juice contains from two to three times as much vitamin C as to- mato juice. Either of the juices loses vitamin C if allowed to stand before using. Q. When was the earthquake at Charleston, 8. C.2—W. H. R. A. The Charleston earthquake occur= red on August 31, 1886. Forty-one per- sons were killed and there was a $5,000,- 000 property loss. Q. How much hydrochloric acid is there in the stomach?—F. M. A. The normal gastric juice contains about 02 per cent to 0.4 per cent of hydrochloric acid. Q. How long has Clarence Darrow been a lawyer?—E. H. A. He was admitted to the bar in 1878, Q. What is the proportion of college graduates per 1,000 population? High school graduates?—W. H. B. A. Out of every 1,000 adults in the United States, 29 have received college degrees and 109 have been graduated from high school. Q. Was there a Bunker Hill flag? —J. W. A. As early as 1737 a recognized flag of the New England Colonies had a blue field with a white union quartered by a red cross. Such a flag, with the addi- tion of a green pine tree in the upper inner quarter of the union, was carried at the battle of Bunker Hill. Another flag of the same design, but having a red field, also was used in that battle. Some authorities say that each of these flags had on one side the words, “An Appeal to Heaven,” and on the other a Latin inscription, the translation of which is “He Who Transplanted Us Will Care for Us.” Q. Please give the name of a good, up-to-date book on the history of print- ing in the United States.—J. W. A. “A History of Printing in the United States,” bty Douglas McMurtrie, pub- lished by R. R. Bowker Co., New York City, is the latest book on this subject. Q. Was Louisville, Ky., ever in the National Base Ball League?—J. L. W. A. Louisville was in the National League from 1876 through 1877 and then resigned. A Rhyme at Twilight By Gertrude Brooke Hamilton Refreshment Forest of pines and birches, Dark green and bronze and gold; Above it glows a sky of rose— *Tis sundown in the wold. The close of an autumnal day Of work and strong sunshine Whose fervors pale as I inhale The fragrance of the pine; And tired eyes are rested By colors softly blent— In the deep wood, in solitude, My twilight hour is spent. Then I drive back at nightfall, Among the fleets of cars All faring home—as skies become A wonderland of stars. ¢