i wi} Lop Prepared by National Geographle Society, Washington, D. C—WNU Service. NOTHER flight by a huge bal- loon into the stratosphere will be made In the summer of 1035, jointly by the National Geo- graphic society and the United Btates army air corps. Capt. Albert W. Stevens will be in command of the balloon which will be piloted by Capt. Orvil A. Anderson. Like the expedi- tion of last summer, the flight of 1085 will take off from a natural basin in the Black Hills, eleven miles south- west of Rapid City, 8. D. Preparation for such a flight is a stupendous task. From the inception of the last flight, in the fall of 1033, with the guidance of the scientific com- mittee appointed by President Gros- venor of the National Geographic so- ciety, no pains were spared to pro- duce the best possible Instruments and equipment for collecting scientific data in the stratosphere. The Instruments were to be of full laboratory size to insure the greatest attainable ac- curacy. This meant that some would be both bulky and heavy. To house these many large instru- ments, it became necessary to design & gondola larger than any that had previously been sent aloft. Finally, it became apparent that to lift the gondola and its cargo of ap- paratus high into the stratosphere, a very large balloon would be required. Experts were consulted, skilled in such construction, and a contract was given to design and build a larger balloon than any previously constrocted—a bag which, when fully inflated, would contain 3,000,000 cubic feet of gas. It required five months to fashion this gigantic bag, and into it went two and a third acres of rubber-impregnat- ed cloth made from long staple cotton. While it was being built, work was begun on the gondola, a globe of dow- metal, lighter than aluminum: and in a score of laboratories and workshops from New York to California special ly designed instruments were being constructed. Meanwhile a site for the base camp of the stratosphere flight had been chosen in western South Dakota. Three considerations determined this choice: the point was far enough west to permit the balloon to drift even 700 or S00 miles to the eastward and still come to earth in relatively level, un- forested country: the record of the re gion was promising for good summer flying weather: and the site was shel. tered from surface winds, Making the “Stratocamp.” Early In June a camp was estab. lished in the deep, cliff-encireled nat- ural “bowl” near Rapid City. It quick: ly became known as the “Stratocamp.” Capt. Orvil A. Anderson was on the scene from the start. Under his capa. ble direction the eamp developed from an almost deserted basin into a bus tling little village of more than a hun- dred Inhabitants, Within a few weeks it had its drain. age system, and sawdust-paved streets, a waterworks, two electric lighting systems, a sewage disposal plant, park- ing spaces, traffic officers, a hospital and ambulance. There was even a fire department with a fullsize hose wagon, two professional fire fighters. a dozen fire extinguishers, and a volun teer corps to operate them, providing a safeguard against accident in han dling quantities of explosive gas. No smoking was permitted In the neigh borhood of the hydrogen cylinders. Three telephone lines and two radio stations kept the Stratocamp ian com: munication with the outside world: and there were two telegraph wires leading to teletype machines which constantly rapped out weather Infor- mation from points as far away as Alaska, (‘nba and Iceland. The spe cial weather station set up at the eamp, through the co-operation of the United States weather bureau, the sig. nal corps, and the air corps, ranked. in fullness of Information furnished, with the half dozep most important weather stations in the United States. Two weeks after the camp was start. ed Captain Stevens went out by plane from Washington, taking some special instruments. A few days later Ma). William E. Kepner flew into Rapid City, and the flight personnel was com. Freight car loads and truck loads of the equipment necessary for a strato * sphere flight had been converging on the Stratocamp for weeks. Three rail- road cars filled with heavy steel cylin- ders containing compressed hydrogen arrived in Rapid City. Thanks to the generous co-operation of the National Guardsmen of South Dakota and their fleet of trucks, these tons of steel were soon neatly piled along one edge of the camp. Collecting the Equipment, The gondola rolled in by truck, after a journey of more than a thousand miles, from Midland, Mich, and was installed In the commodious gondola house, the entire front of which could be opened up. A few days later another truck brought In a huge box containing the balloon bag, which weighed two and a half tons, carefully packed in a water. proof container. The box was placed on blocks in the exact center of the level floor of the “bowl” protected from sun and rain by a canvas tent fly, there to remain until the day of the inflation, The largest truck of all to traverse the winding road down Into the basin arrived the following week—the liquid- oxygen generator truck of the army air corps. It supplied the essential liquid oxygen used to make breathable air inside the gondola during the fly- ers’ stay in the stratosphere, Several airplane loads of Instruments were flown to Rapid City: and daily freight and express packages arrived, their contents varying from machige- shop tools to delicate vacuum tubes. The last of the preparatory work was completed on July §. From that time on the flight could have taken place any day, so far as the equip- ment was concerned. But it was es sential that the flight be made during very speclal—and, unfortunately, rare weather covering the area for seven or eight hundred miles east, At last, on July the long-awnit- ed high-pressure area had drifted in from the west and promised for the next day the conditions wanted both at the Stratocamp and to the east When, at noon, Major Kepner an nounced officially that the weather was satisfactory for the flight and that the inflation would begin that evening, the camp was galvanized Into activity, Off for the Stratosphere, Guests were barred from the floor of the “bowl”; only men with definite Jobs to perform were permitted In the camp. The balloon box was opened and the huge, billowy mass of fabric was spread out on the cirenlar saw- dust-covered canvas-protected bed that had been prepared for it Bus load after bus load of soldiers arrived from Fort Meade. They were the men of the ground crew who were to hold the balloon in leash while the hydrogen poured into it. At the gondola house, those con- cerned with the instruments were ex- tremely busy. A definite schedule was worked out. minutes were allotted and, one after the other, specialists conditions, ym. -k, to Install batteries and to give their in- struments a final tuning up, On all sides the preparations moved shead like clockwork. At dusk the balloon, to be performed-—the careful placing of rope ends for valve and rip-cords; the lashing on of a small mail sack; parachutes, Captalp Anderson and Captain Stev. ens climbed Into the gondola; Major Kepner to its rope enclosed top, the better to direct the take-off, The outer ropes were dropped; only the gondola and ten small hand ropes attached to it held the gigantic bag of gas to the earth, Major Kepner di. rected the final ground activity of the flight before the ascent—the welghing off. Ropes were slackened to test the balloon’s lift. Ballast was adjusted until the upward pull seemed Just right. Then came the order, “Cust off I" the balloon was away for the stratosphere. Better Handling | of Horses Urged | Comeback ; Cost of Keep Important Item. University of Ilinois.~~WNU Service. Horses are staging a comeback, but some of thelr value as a source of eco- pomical farm power will be lost unless they are handled efliciently. Next to man labor, the cost of keeping work | horses is one of the largest items of expense on many farms, This is often pot realized because horses are usually fed on farm-grown grains and rough- ages and no cash outlay Is necessary for their feed. How widely the worth and expenses of horses may vary depending upon their management is shown in a study of cost account records kept by 83 farmers in co-operation with the farm management division of the University of Illinois College of Agriculture, The net cost of keeping a work horse for the year varied from $24.23 to $70.98, or an average of $40.08. The number of hours of work per- formed by the horses ranged from 300 to 1,244 each, the average belng T05 hours, The cost for each hour of horse labor averaged 6.6 cents. This varied from 8.6 cents on the lowest. cost farm to 18.4 cents an hour on the farm with the highest horse power cost, The cost for each hour's work was closely correlated with the number of hours worked by each horse, although the total cost of keeping a horse varied widely on farms where the horses worked an equal number of hours. Feed accounted for 50 per cent of the average total cost of maintaining the horses, man labor required to care for and harness the horses accounted for another 14 per cent, shelter § per cent, interest on investment 7 per cent, depreciation 5 per cent, harness 4 per cent and veterinary, shoeing and In- cidental costs 2 per cent, From these figures it is evident that the cost for each unit of horse power on farms can be reduced by cutting down the maintenance expenses and by Increasing the hours of productive work done by each horse. The feed given the animals and the labor spent in caring for them must be governed by the work done, if horse power is to be economical. Depreciation costs may be reduced and an appreciation In the horse account effected by raising colts for replacement purposes, Plague of Warts Cause of Heavy Potato Losses Wart disease, which in the last few years has reduced to poverty vast po- tato-growing areas in Scotland and [reland, is caused by a parasitic fun- gus, scientifically christened synchytri- am endobioticum. It is capable of ly- ing dormant in for at least ten years, patiently awaiting its prey. The only effective way of countering it, notes a writer In Tit-Bits Magazine, is to produce varieties immune from at- tack. But it is one thing, laboratory workers at Rothamsted experimental station are discovering. to immunize varieties, and another to insure them giving good domestic yields Wart disease was originally detected in Britain in 1808; it is variously called “Black Scab,” “Canker.” “Fungus.” and “Stag Head” It attacks the tubers and low-lying stalks of potatoes, never their roots, covering Infected parts with knotty warts, which damp soil quickly converts into ugly black festers. Oc. cuplers of land, discovering the dis ease in their soil, are required by law to notify the ministry of agriculture at once, the soll Clover Hay Good Feed Clover is good feed. On the stock farm clover can be used for hay or | pasture. Clover hay contains nearly twice as much nitrogen, 50 per cent more phosphorus, and four to six times a8 much calcium as Timothy hay. | These are the important bone and mus- cle making elements. These differ ences are characteristic of legumes and The Oklahoma station | compared more than 300 samples each | of legumes and non-legumes. They | found that the legumes averaged nearly | four times as much phosphorus, and | more than two and a half times as | much nitrogen as the non-legumes. | minerals for both man and Animals | Rural New-Yorker, ; Silage for Horses Horses can be wintered entirely upon silage but great care should be silage, writes a correspondent In Hoard's Dairyman. In the beginning, will maintain him in good condition, Those who winter thelr horses on silage tell us that they come through in fine condition. Conditioner for Horses To make horses appear to be less tight in the hide is to put a little more flesh on them. Horses which are thin in condition do not usually show any great looseness of hide. As they fat ten they take on a sleek appearance and the hide appears to be very much looser. A mMure of 125 pounds crushed onts, 100 pounds wheat bran and 25 pounds linseed oll men! is recommend RUG WELL NAMED “BED OF ROSES” By GRANDMOTHER CLARK The original rug shown measures | 44 Inches and requires four pounds uf rags to complete. It is braided with three strands, but can be cro cheted. A crocheted rug has better wearing properties. Many are used in the following combina. tions: circle In white, yel. low, red, and black. Three of the outer circles In various rust shades The other three circles In two shades of blue, and yellow, rose, yellow, black. This rug shows rugs can be regulation or either round oval, with various color and when fin ished has no particular beauty. In making the above “Bed of Roses” rug, make seven small round rugs about twelve inches In diameter, and set together as shown here, then work rows all around to size wanted, It's a different rug and another idea of what can be made of rags. The best material for making rag | rugs Is “Linkraft.” When using this new material cutting or match- ing of sizes Is necessary, Linkraft in a round knitted material like jer- sey. It comes In links about five inches long, hut stretches to about nine Inches when linking These links are to be linked together colors Center Outer edge is | that of beautiful rags. The rag rug is | made common or combinations, only no together, Sissi ————— Enmity Forgotten One of the most remarkable Christ. | mas trees was put on view in London | last year, a exhl- | bition, It was made by a German and presented hy Lim a Guard with he exchanged | greetings In the No Man's land tween the trenches Christinas | day, 1015. ! the Scots Guard soldier Seots whom fig be | on In solld colors or mixed as desired. Linkraft Is very durable, does not fray lke rag strips and Linkraft rugs. If you are Interested rag rugs, send for Clark's Book No, 25 on Crocheted and Bralded Rugs. Twenty-six rugs are Illustrated, with Instructions, A wonderful selection to pick from when mind, in making Grandmother # ook No, 2h. Address, Home Dept. “C,” Nineteenth Ave, St. Louis, Mo, Enclose stamped addressed enve lope when writing for any informa- tion, Craft Company, & Bt. Louls City, Long Buried Under Mud, Uncovered in China A terrific windstorm which recent northern Honan un west gate and part of a of i to renorte from ly swept covered the over street of the ancient city glen, according Kal the York Chuhsien, city ited Hsinhsiang Yellow river, prov inl capita I'imes, sity between We the on former the was Inu of the reign of Emperor Chien Luny Shortly after the Yellow ed its course, and when the river shit subsided no vestige of the city could be found. It had covered by the mud and sand depos ited as a result of the flood, In the intervening centuries the action of the wind has removed been completely two successive layers of mud and sand, until last windstorm brought a part the buried elty once more to view, The provincial authorities planned to con tinue the work of natire and pietely excavate the ancient city, the of have DIRE EFFECT OF POISON lelieved to have been killed by ernment airplanes, two white rhi- noceroges, five waterbuck and seve eral smaller animals were found pol- soned In the Hluhluwe game reserve In Zululand, Africa. It had killed scrub grass over a8 wide ares. — Montreal Herald, CONSTIPATION Can be Helped! (Use what Doctors do) Why do the bowels usually move regularly and thoroughly, long after a physician has given you treatment for constipation? lecause the doctor gives a liguid xative that can always be taken in i You can gradually ¢ d Reduced dosage is { real and safe relief from doctor about this. Ask popular hiqud ixatives The night ( laxative gives the right kind of help, and the right amount of help. When the dose is repeated, instead of more each time, vou take less. Until the bowels are moving regularly and thoroughly without any help at all. The liquid laxative generally used is Dr. Caldwell's Syrup Pepsin. It contains senna and cascara, and these are nafural laxatives that form no habit — even in children. Your druggist has it; ask for— ve. (Llrel s SYRUP PEPSIN your drugnist how faxatis » become, hquid Rd Every Saturday a OON'T Jo tmmsas————— WY MAIL OUT FROM || TOWN, WILL YOU ? | ; SAY~ THAT SOUNDS LIKE THE FIX Iwas | [ IN WHEN | HAD COFFEE -NERVES ! TE Ea « EVEN ANSWER Novo, 3 : p————— : oF NOT SO TELL HIM YOUR WORST PAIN 15 | ¥ CAUSED BY FOLKS “= WHO CAN'T MIND THEIR OWN ] Business JN - = A JAm ! TRL 53 pEbE git lial: 3 PRL L a £3 p—— Fis eany MEE > CURSES! I'L HAVE TO SCRAM ! | CAN'T GET RESULTS AFTER ALONG f : “8 KNEW children should never drink coffee, but
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