l4
The American Boy
Hose Supporter
Popular Science Department A
DEPARTMENT
OF
INTEREST
TO YOUNG AND OLD
For Boya and
EDITED AND ILLUSTRATED
Girlc
BY PROFESSOR A. HYATT VERRILL
Who Play.
Nature Puzzles and their Answers Cleflnlng Cor{Is nn.l shells.
It wearc well because
it
is
otrongly made the best
o!
materials.
tions, -sq,
orrelased,withper.
fect ease, even by chil&en.
Chiklreds Pairbymail, 16c. (give ago) Iaok for the llfoulded Rubber lutton and, "Velvet (irip" sttornped on tlre loopr goldby Dealet s Doorltuhera. GEORGE FROST CO.' Borton. U.S.A.
BOYS
!
what rvonderful travel tales you would hear
If
Your Bicycle
Tires Could Talk!
Tales of giant rubber forests along the lazyflowing Amazon; of the whir and hum of the busy Northern tire factories lvhere marvelous machinery lit€ra,Ily makes trees into tires. We've liv€tl entl worked with tires and knov, their story well. We have writt€n it down in an interesting Book for Boys calleat
"The Rubber in Your Bicycle Tires" '7'o1(,
if
can, ltaue a conu .free, U,TL 1t't'ite for it todau.
UNITED STATES TIRE COMPANY Broadway at 58th Shc.t, New York
Inquirer:-'l'o clean the da,rl<-colorcd, a.dhering, animal matter from corals yorr should soal( the specimen in stron8 potash or lye solution for sevelal days and t.hen wash thoroughly with a hose oI under a faucet. Most of the matcrial \\'ill come off readily but small particles may adhere to the crevices. These should be removed with a stiff llrush and water'. Af ter all animal mattel' has been rcmoved the coral should be bleached in the sun until white. Corals that are very ()ld and dirty are sometimes hard tir bleach and in such cases treatment with I'eroxide of llydrogen or Chloride of Lime solution may be necessat'y. Before treating shells with aci('1, the outer sl(in, or integumcnt, should l)c I'cmoved b.y using LIc or potash as for corals. T do not l(now of any way to r.enrovc the spongc growlh other than picl<ing them off the coral with forceps. If thc coral is soaked in Lye a.s describod the a.nimal matter of the sponge wiu bo (lissolvecl and the l cmaining skeleton $,ill be easy to remove,-or will in m:rny cases drop off of its own accord. IUetal ln ll/ell. L, I!. Bonrl:-'l'h(r l)its of nretal forrnd in thc well itro onlr-dt',r1rs of soltlcr fr.om a tin pail or oth(,r' utensil. Ground IIog, Snnkes, Dtc, Nathan C. TIor.ton:-The ground hog or woo(lchuck helonqs lo thc mtrr.nrol family and is the otly member of lhc famil)' which occurs in ollr eirstcl.n states. Some snak'es shed their skins oftener. than others. depcnding upon tho species. locality an(l size. Young snal(eS that are Browint. rapidly shed oftcner.than full-grown snakes, but nearly all of them shed. \4'hen they first come ouL in the spring, Crows breed early in sprin8,-in lat.c -lVlalch or eall;' April frique-ntty,-anO the only way to l<now when to €iet the t.oun€i birds is to wa,tch the ne^st and take the birds when the right age. As a l'ule )'ou rna)- find wcll-grown crows in the nest late in April or early in May. Egg Blorvcrs. -Mason:-trgg hlowers wore - Clalencc full), descl.ihed in the-..Boy's Mrrseum', article in 'l'Il Ii) Al\{Ii)RtCAN BOy for .Ilrno, l0'l 0. 'l'lrr..\. rnlI. lrr. purclrasod ft rrttt ;tn1' {l(.;tl'.l ill nill ut.ill lrlitorv srrr,pllr.s ol rrrrl' lr,. nrrrrl,. lrt rlr.trrvlrlg oirl
Yidccl x-ith a stick or ladder in the jar
thcy u-ill act as barometers and will
(lescend or ascend the ladder accordinB' to the state of weather.
Illrds, Eggs. Dverett A. Brown:-You u'ill finrl all 1'ou r questions f ulll.' answeled in the "Ifo]'s' Museum" alticle in 1l'I{tt AMITRI(1.\N BOY for June, 1c10, and tr'ebruary, IS11.
Ilaml)oo.
Flenry llhompson:-No, bamboo is not a true tree, but is a solt of gligantic Ieod oI grass. Thele ale manJ species; it is found in most tropical countries and in nearly every country where it occurs it proves of great value to the natives. 'w.c seldom see large bamboo in'this country as about all that is importcd is in the form of fishing poles. Ifa.nrhoo frequently grows to a, hei8lht of fo|t]' or Iif ty f eet with a stall( eight to ten
Light ln the Sky. I{enneth Maclean: The "Strange Lisht" that you saw was really a sort of cloud. L have seen similar oncs myself both befole and after sunset and llefoie sunrise, 'Ihese clouds sometimes stretch clear across the sky from horizon to horizon and are sometimes seen in groups in a sor"t of fan shape. The liBht u'hich thet. ;Lppear to give out is merely reflected from the sun, which may be out of siBht from us and t'et 'would bc visihlo if we rYole at as great an elevation as the oloud. Natlve Slrongc. Chas. A<lams:-'lhe object you founrl cast on tho beach was not & coral but a sl)ccies of naIive sponH.c. Thcre are a nurnlrcl of species of niltiyc sponges,
.
Bamboos Growint ln Natlve Slate
inches in c'liameter. Tt is ver5. handsomo when growing and its lace-like leaves an.d shining, glossy, green or I'ellow stems ale among the most lteautiful forms.of tropical vegetation. It is used for building houses and fences. for utensils antl ornaments; large sections are usecl for ca.rrying water and other things, ['hile the branches are used as thatch and qrhen split into narrow strips are nlaitecl into mats, fans and various other objects. The joints, when burned ol' heated, explode with a loucl report and the native children frequcntly amuse themselvos hy brrrning lrir.mhoo fot celcl)l rLl.l()ns. lr)ltclr ira Arr(,r'iciln <'lrilrlron nnIlnr, llr(,lIal.lvr.s wlllr llr'(,('r'[('l({,rs.
Naltve Sponte
sonrc of thcm bt.ightll' colored and somo ver1. handsome in folm. None of them ate useful .commercially, however, and
thel' are valuabie only as specimens or cul'tos.
Oak I'reer. Ch:rs. Ifanson:-It is difficult to distinguish ou1. various oaks without th3