Muncie Post-Democrat, Muncie, Delaware County, 23 June 1950 — Page 3

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THE POST-DEMOCRAT, MUNCIE, INDIANA, FRIDAY, JUNE 23, 1950.

New Machines And Gadgets Novel Things for ■Modern Living Oyster opener, also usable in opening clam shells, is a recently patented device to hold bivalve mollusks and also to guide the blade of an ordinary kitchen knife in separating the shells. Slots in its base and an upright arm hold the butt of the shell. * * * Indoor pistol, together with a target board, shoots elastic bands for bullets, the board having hinged pieces above which are knocked over if struck. When a target ii hit, it falls backward, revealing a picture of an animal head in a'cut-out below. * » * Anti-mildew chemical, for use on the sails of yachts, provides protection for two or three years under normal conditions. The odorless material permeates the sail fiber without changing color or feel. Technically, it is a methyl benzyl ammonium cyclopen-^ tane carboxylate salt. * * * Automatic switch, to turn street lights on at dusk and off at dawn, has a delay device to prevent action from lightning flashes or bright headlights on automobiles. Its sun-switch, sensitive to the amount of light striking it, is enclosed in a glass v/att-hour meter case for easy inspection. / # * * t Dog kennel, shown in the picture, is built and used by an airline company for the shipment of pet animals on passenger

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planes. Built in two sizes and made of a lightweight metal, they are especially designed to keep ; their occupants odorless while aloft. * * * Fire-fighting nozzle, to distribute firefoam on the flaming parts, is attached to the water , hose like the ordinary nozzle but | has a side opening for a hose j connection to a portable small j tank of the foam-forming liquid. Tha effective mixture made in the nozzle contains water, firefoam and air. * * # Collapsible tubes, for products ranging from shaving cream to catsup and peanut butter, are machine-made from foil, with coatings of plastics on both sides. Different plastics can be used on the inside to rheet requirements i of different materials to be packaged, giving the tube wider Usages. ; * * * I Plywood substitute, a Swiss invention, is made of random wood wastes, specially ground and screened, with shavings for the outside surface. It forms a warpless board, core and surface being compacted and cured in the same pressing operation. * * * If you want more information on the new things described here, send a three-cent stamp to Science Service, 1719 N St., N. W., Washington 6, D. C., and ask for Cadge': Bulletin 522.

Tomato Starters By Science Service With new “starter” solutions, tomato growers are giving trans-, planted seedlings a running start toward higher yields at harvest time. Half a cup of dissolved fertilizer solution is applied to the ground around each seedling when it is set out in the field. The job is done automatically by transplanting machines in many instances. The result can be as much as a ton and a half more tomatoes per acre than if the 'Seedlings are not given the improved diet, it was found oy researchers at the New York State Agricultural Experiment Station. Similar starter solutions have been used experimentally, with equally good results, with peppers, egg plants, melons and cabbage plants, particularly in land not hig v v fo-+n; Z ed. (Co^vr’^V, jdZQ ± ZcienceService)

From Now On: Mathematics Will Be Vital to Research and Industrial Efficiency in Next Half Century

Japanese Hunger Fighters

By WATSON DAVIS Director, Science Service (Twenty-fourth in a series of glances forward in science.) Mathematics is called both the queen of the sciences and the handmaiden of technology. Repeatedly in the long upward march of scientific progress, mathematical formulations and theories have led the way to great physical and biological developments. The atomic bomb—both the A and H varieties—were first built in the formulas of the mathematical physicists. From the standpoint of engineering and technology, mathematics in its various ramifications is a very necessary tool, often creative of new ideas and new applications. Young Science Mathematics as a science is still young and growing. It is by no means static. In fact, several hundred periodicals are published throughout the world, devoted in whole- or in part to mathematical research. The scientists who work with paper and pencil have new and challenging problems and applications. One of the plagues in mathematics, as in ordinary life, is in the fact that many problems do not seem to have a solution; that is, they are indeterminant. It used to be thought that everything could be resolved in some way or other if one were only ingenious enough, but it is now known that this is not true, because problems have been found which can be shown to be undecidable. One thing that the mathematicians have been doing is to tackle analysis which is concerned with infinite processes,, and turn it into algebra, which is concerned with finite processes. The new methods drop the infinite out by treating some of these problems in an algebraic way. Th® algebraic approach

Mathematics will bring tomorrow’s better mousetrap. provides simpler methods of solution for many practical problems ranging from the design of electrical circuits to gun sights. Probability^ which is basic not alone to gambling but to all human activity, is being put upon a firm mathematical basis and not left to plausible conjectures and paradoxes. In the control of quality, so important to manufacturing production, mathematics has made recent and important contributions. Statistics are being used to tell manufacturers how often to pick a sample in connection with routine machine production. For example, if a screw part is being made by an automatic machine it is wasteful to test each part produced to see whether it meets specifications. The trick is to make a test* at infrequent intervals while the output is running true to specifications, but to increase the frequency of tests as soon as any divergence from specifications is noted. In this way it is quickly determined whether the divergence is a random fluctuation or whether the machine is really getting out of adjustment.. Mathematics tells ; how frequently tests should be made so as, on the one hand, to avoid unnecessary testing when things are running smoothly, whilp on the other hand, to avoid making

many defective parts by quickly sensing when things start to go wrong. A real revolution in computing has been started by the introduction of automatic, high speed, computing devices, the so-called mechanical or electronic brains. This is opening new realms of mathematics. Not only will such computers speed up computations which are now done by slower, more tedious, methods, but they will make it possible to carry out computations which are too long to undertake by previous methods. The way in which mathematicians are trained in the future will be changed by the availability of these large computers. New Fields The matter of mathematical tables may be vastly changed, because these machines may find it simpler and quicker to compute a particular value when needed rather than to look it up in' a table. If the value can be computed in less time and at less cost whenever it is needed, the machine will obviate the necessity of elaborate and costly tables of values seldom required. For the future, there may be expected: •A. Advances in pure fnathematics either in filling gaps in our present knowledge Ir in the exploration of new fieldfe. B. Mathematicians will continue to explore the factors and relationships within the hearts of atoms, the living cell, the causes of diseases and the technicalities of engineering and production, with the likelihood of penetrating some of these mysteries. C. While a more intensive development of mathematical research in the most advanced fields will take place, a new development in the application of mathematics to problems of production in industry is expected. D. Scientists in almost every field will need to have a basic knowledge of mathematics and its power as an aid to scientific research. (Copyright, 1950, Science Service)

You Can Do

Make Knockdown Exerciser for Yard

By JOSEPH H. KRAUS Science Service Home Editor The pleasure you get from a swing, trapeze, rings, and ropes may be yours without waiting for that tree in t{ie back yard to grow limbs strong enough to hold the apparatus. A simple wooden frame, easily knocked down for storage during the winter, can be erected for the purpose in a short time. Depending upon the age of those who are to use the equipment, determine the height of the frame. Use 4" by 4" timber or, if more convenient, 2" by 4” stock nailed together with 4-inch nails driven in at a slight slant so that the points do not come through. Three 2 by 4’s, each 14 feet long, will produce a frame 7 feet high and about 5 feet wide. Assemble the frame on the grounci approximately as shown, bolting large shelf brackets to the top cross piece and to the two sides. Place yokes on the cross piece to which to attach the supporting chains, or use eyebolts running through drilled holes. Be sure to place a large washer under each nut. A pair of auto tow chains will furnish strong, inexpensive supports for the swing. Lash new washline or heavier rope to the sides to serve as the guys, and fit two of them, or all four, with wooden cleats for tension. Washline rope locks, available from the ten cent store, may be used instead. However, wooden cleats may be made easily from straight grained pieces of wood drilled with holes just large enough for tight fit against the ropes. A shallow depression in.hard soil will furnish a good footing but if the ground tends to be soft following a rain it will be well to dig a hole at least six inches deep into the soil. Place a flat rock or brick at the bottom of the hole. If a frame 14 feet high is attempted, sipk ends a foot or more into the ground. With everything in readiness, stand a piece of board upright in each hole. Bring the feet of the frame against the boards. Pull the frame nearly vertical; it will slide against'the boards and drop into the holes. Tighten all guys around notched stakes

driven into the ground. Fill the post holes with small stones or cindgrs and pound them in as you fill. Soak the grounci around the holes with discarded auto crankcase oil to minimize wood rot: * Hook the swing in place and

test it yourself. Swing high and be really rough, but pay close attention to any weak spots which might appear. Watch stakes, footings and test for side sway. If side sway is serious, attach another pair of guys, one on each end, in line with theframe. A trapeze bar may be made from a straight-grained piece of tough wood—a sledge hammer handle is good. Heavy anchor rope will make the rope climb, while a local blacksmith can make the rings. Strips of light colored ribbons or pieces of dress materials tied to the guys will lessen danger of tripping over the ropes. During use, check the tightness of guys frequently. Apply grease or graphite oil to the metal parts, particularly to the threads of the bolts so that these will not rust. When the season closes the entire structure may be dismantled and stored away in the garage or on blocks under the porch. (Copyright,1950, Science Service)

Transplanting rice seedlings in a flooded Japanese paddy field is a back-breaking hand operation. Although Japan’s farmers are learning new agriculture skills for mountain-slope fields, rice is still the basic diet. Japan produces over 9,000,000 metric tons of rice each year. Science Brings More Food ) To Overpopulated Islands . By MARTHA G. MORROW Science Service Staff Writer TOKYO—On Aug. 14,1950, Japan’s dream of an Asiatic empire will have been dead for five years. This summer, five years after jnilitary surrender, the Japanese are still fighting an ag^old battle. But their weapon is science rather than guns. <s> - The battle is people against land—too many people on too little land. To be self-sufficient, Japan must support a population almost nine times as great as that of California and more than half as large as that of the entire United States. Yet Japan herself is smaller than the state of Cali-

fornia.

At present about 82,000,000 people are estimated to live in Japan. Almost half depend on agriculture for all or part of their income. The island has a total area of 142,270 square miles. Only about 19% is agricultural

land.

Urgent Need The Japanese are good farmers, but they cannot overcome the limitations imposed by having only 17,000*000 acres of good farm land at their disposal. Unable to raise enough food for its own needs even when crops were good, Japan, in the past has had to import food, including rice, for her people. Increasing food production as much as possible is one of Japan’s most urgent needs, both now and for the future. Recognizing that more land for cultivation was one of the island’s crying needs, the Japanese government for decades has offered subsidies for reclaimed land. About 30,000 acres were

Japanese threshing machine, driven by foot-power, is one step up from the day rice

threshed by flails.

was

made usable for crops each year from 1910 to 1939 due to this program. But about 500,000 acres were actually withdrawn from production between 1937 and

1944 by the military.

Since the surrender, increased emphasis has been placed on reclaiming land and the rate of land rescue has been stepped up many times. Within the last four years the Japanese government has acquired 2,700,000 acres of uncultivated land for reclamation and 845,000 acres have actually

been salvaged for crops.

Basic knowledge of the soils

Across Europe and Asia alike, the homeless sleep and eat where they can. Among them are children, such as this sleeping Japanese orphan. The question which may decide future peace: Can enough food be grown in overcrowded lands?

throughout Japan is essential to developing a correct land use program. Although various soil maps have been made for the last 60 to 70 years,'they lacked much information needed to increase the food and feed crops. Under the supervision of American soil scientists, all regions under cultivation have been sampled and classified since 1945. These reconnaissance, soil maps are being used to determine which land is worth reclaiming, and where the wrong crop is-grown so far as greatest productivity is concerned. Crop Control With intensive* cropping on soils naturally low in fertility, Japan relies heavily on fertilizers. When the war began, the nation had accumulated a sufficient stockpile to produce most of its nitrogenous and phosphatic commercial fertilizers, but these were practically exhausted during the war. To help Japan support Herself, allied authorities have aided the importation of large quantities of commercial fertilizers and helped build up domestic production. , Control of plant insects and diseases, estimated to reduce crops in Japan by at least 12% each year, in the past received little attention. SCAB, however, has encouraged experimental work on insect control, the use of dusts and new insecticides. The newly-developed .insecticides DDT and benzene hexachloride a’re now being produced in Japan. Another approach to the problem of greater food productionis through use of better seeds.

Increased yields in rice may be expected in the future through hybridization and back-crossing, techniques only recently being tried by Japanese scientists. Improved U. S. varieties of wheat, barley, corn, grasses and soybeans have been introduced to Japan within the past few years. Some are proving themselves suitable for use in Japan, while others will show their worth by being crossed with varieties already in use here. More than any other nation, Japan is dependent upon the sea’s resources. Over a million people are engaged full or part time in collecting its wealth, rich in animal protein. Practically every species of sea animal and plant is used for human consumption or for industry. Ocean Wealth Japanese fishermen before the war brought back about 9,300,000 pounds of fish, more than twice that collected by the United States. Her fishing boats ranged widely over the high seas, but about 85% of Japan’s total production came from waters lying within sight of the four main islands. Fishery production of the island, greatly decreased during the war, is rapidly returning to its prewar level. New boats have been built, petroleum to operate the boats and fishing gear is once again available. By 1960 there will probably be 92,000,000 Japanese. Maximum use of all available resources will be needed to feed this teeming hoard, let alone give them a standard of living such as that enjoyed in the United States. (Copyright, 1950, Science Service)

United Nations Taking World Agriculture Census

By Science Service Most comprehensive inventory ever made of the world’s resources of food, clothing and shelter is the goal of a worldwide agricultural census now being carried on by the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations. The massive count of farms and farmers, land, produce, livestock and farming conditions will include statistics from countries which have never before taken a census. To gather the T 1 cssary figures census-takers are traveling by camel and elephant-back, by

Nature Ramblings

Pelicans are large grotesque birds with comical faces and a remarkable talent for fishing. But the most characteristic feature of this bird is its expandible mandible—the pouch hanging below its lower bill. Thanks to this unique pouch, the pelican is one of the most readily identifiable of the birds. Watch people at the zoo. They all know eagles, and they can usually spot owls with accuracy. But before most of the other birds they will pause a moment, then read off . the identification card, and then say to their companion, “Oh, that’s an egret,” or perhaps, “So that’s what a coot looks like.” Before tbe pelican cage there is no such hesitation. Someone in the party will cry out, “A pelican. Look at the pouch.” And then sure as fate someone is bound to intone: “What a wonderful bird is the pelican, It’s pouch can hold more than his bellycan . . .” There is usually a bemused silence while everyone within ear-

Pelican

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shfit strains to recall the rest of the limerick. Everyone stands still, head cocked like a perching bird’s, and then the tag-end of verse comes swimming into someone’s mind, to be voiced im-

mediately:

“It can hold in its beak Enough food for a week . . .” And then the dam bursts and everyone shouts the l^st line so noisily that you can never be sure quite how it goes: “da-da-da perfectly well he can,” or something like that. The pelican uses the pouch as a fish net. Flying along over the water, a pelican will spot a tasty bit of seafood in the briny beneath. It will immediately go into a swift dive downwind,

smack the water with an awkward splash, sometimes turning a complete somersault in the water. Seconds later it will come flopping out of the water, taking off into the wind this time. Its pouch will be distended with the bulk both of its prey and the water it was shimming in at the fatal moment. The pelican can expand or contract the pouch at will. After it has caught a fish, the pelican will let the water run out of its beak, contract the pouchy and swallow the fish. A diving pelican hits the water with great force. To ease the shock, it is equipped with air pockets under the skin of its forward ' underbody which act as shock absorbers. Pelicans are gregarious birds. They usually nest in colonies along a sea coast or a lake shore. They fish together in flocks, sometimes even cooperating by forming a line and flying inshore, driving a school of fish ahead of them into shallow water. Then the birds have a field day. (Copyright,1950, Science Service)

foot, car, mule, horse and canoe’. Five international schools have been set up to provide training in statistical techniques—one in Baghdad for the Middle East; one in Mexico City for Latin America; one in Paris for European countries; another in Cairo for the Middle East} and one in New Delhi, India, for Asia and the Far East. Major hurdle which must be cleared fpr the world census is the wide variance between countries as to what such simple words as “farm” means. “Take the cow,” said Dr. Conrad Taeuber, chief of FAO’s statistics branch. “In some countries a cow isn’t- considered a cow until it is two years old. In other countries, it isn’t a cow until it has produced a calf’ The way a census is taken varies. England mails out ques-

tionnaires. In Ireland and South Africa the rural police make the counts. Some countries pay enumerators, as in the United States. In others the work is regarded as a public service. Sometimes the people themselves must come in and report. Sometimes they are all required to stay home on a certain day. The day becomes a census holiday. But through the training 1 centers, and guided by agricultural definitions ^epared by a committee of experts, FAO is helping to lay the groundwork for the first complete survey of the world’s use of the land. It is a slow'job at best. After information is collected* by the individual governments, it must be tabulated before summaries can be given to the United Nations organization.

“To give an idea of the amount of work entailed,” Dr. Taeuber said—“In Thailand a population census was taken in 1947. The population was estimated at about 18,000,000. The government installed tabulating machines. They planned to have a card for each person. “At the rate of a million cards a month it was going to taka them 18 months just to punch the cards.” For FAO, which started its compilation task in 1947, such problems are routine. When information is in from all the countries, fit hopes to have a picture fairly close t6 the actual world agriculture situation. The organization hopes to be able 'to' issuq the first summary by 1952 or 1953,'Dr. Taeuber said. * _ (Copyright, 1950, Science Service)

Stovepipe Fan Can Cut Home Fuel Bill

By Science Service A fan in the stovepipe between furnace and chimney, and an attached electric moto): to operate it, is the heart of a new device to enable the cheaper, smaller sizes of anthracite coal to be used in homes. The device gives promise of a saving of perhaps a third of the winter fuel bill. The use of a fan to boost coal burning is not new. Putting it in the connecting stovepipe is unique. The special feature of this new booster device is that the motor, fan and stovepipe is a factory-built unit with the pipe made of sturdy stainless steel. It can be easily installed by the home-owner. The pipe is 34 inches long and eight in diameter. Two slight curves in it permit the fan to be driven direct on the shaft of the motor which is on the outside. This position of the ball-bearing motor makes it

and electrical connections safe from the heat within the pipe. The bolster is controlled by a room thermostat. The device is the invention of Charles P. Grimes, Grimes Engineering Company, Syracuse, N. Y., and a patent is pending in

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the U. S. Patent Office. It i* not yet in production. The inventor states that the booster hk* great suction power and will easily pull air and gases up through seven inches of ashes on thr grates and 10 inches of coal bed. (Copyright, 1950, Science ^erutcell