E. A. W. asks, "Does the Department of Agriculture at Washington issue a pamphlet for free distribution relating to the following things: Weather reports and records, latitude of our different cities, and rules for foretelling the weather?"
We think it does. Write the Department requesting a copy. You will get in reply either the pamphlet or information where it can be had. "What are the names of some of our largest war-ships?" The Iowa, Massachusetts, and Indiana are names of three battle-ships. Of large cruisers there are the Columbia, New York, and Minneapolis. "What are the requisites of pen-drawing for an amateur? What pens are used?" Bristol-board; drawing-ink, to be had in twenty-five-cent bottles at almost any bookseller's; and common fine-pointed steel pens.
J. G. B.: The annual wheat crop of the United States varies greatly. Last year it was 500,000,000 bushels. It is much smaller than our corn crop, which often reaches 1,600,000,000 bushels.—George E. Purdy, 66 Broadway, New York, asks if Carlos J. Neona, of Chicago, will send his correct address to him.—Ernest Routlege questions the authority which makes a Virginia plover to fly 225 miles an hour. Lord Bishop Stanley, an excellent authority, says that the highest speed attained by any bird is 180 miles an hour. This is the swift. The plover is a fast flier, and he gives its speed at 160 miles. He also says that the measuring of bird flight is quite difficult, and points out several erroneous calculations on their speed made by people who sought to test it. Possibly our correspondent, a lad, fell into one of these errors. The partridge flies, according to Bishop Stanley, about sixty miles per hour, and the eagle 140 miles. In Ireland, some years ago, a carrier-pigeon was known to make 125 miles per hour. These are special records, so to say, for the average speed of these birds is much slower. Stanley says that, in proportion to size, the bee is a faster flier than a plover, and points out how often we see bees and large flies fly along outside the window of a rapid railway car, going zigzag, but keep up without difficulty, and finally, perhaps, fly on ahead, only to return after a while for a second sojourn by your window. He gives a rule for measuring the speed of a bird's flight. If you see a bird rise from the ground, time it or count seconds until you see it pass over a fence or hedge. Then pace the distance from rising point to fence. Then you have a simple problem to find its speed per hour at that particular time. Will some one give us a morsel on this subject? It is very interesting.—Vincent V. M. Beede asks: "Can some one tell me the present whereabouts of Greuze's painting, 'The Little Dauphin,' and where a copy, in whatever form, can be obtained?"
Any questions in regard to photograph matters will be willingly answered by the Editor of this column, and we should be glad to hear from any of our club who can make helpful suggestions.
A SCRAP-BOOK FOR PHOTOGRAPHIC FORMULAS.
Every box of sensitive plates and every package of sensitive paper contains a circular giving formulas for working, and besides the formulas, there are hints on the causes of failures, and directions how to avoid or amend them. The manufacturers of photographic goods issue little pamphlets and booklets which may be had for the asking, and in newspapers and magazines one is constantly coming across some new or easier way of working in photography. If this material was collected as it came to hand and placed in a scrap-book, one would soon have a valuable book of information about the art of photography which would be very helpful.