Tractor Out-pulls Elephant in Tug-of-War

SEVENTY-TWO hundred pounds of elephant came in second best in a tug-of-war recently conducted between Ruth, a 30-year-old elephant, and a small tractor. Four legs proved to have less “pulling power” than the caterpillar treads of the tractor. The elephant is shown bracing herself just as the irresistible pull of the tractor began to carry her backward.

Attic-Raised Silk Worms Forecast $100,000,000 Industry

A $100,000,000 dollar industry, producing nearly a million new jobs, can be brought into the United States with the introduction of silk worm raising, John Ousta, a silk expert from Turkey, believes. As further proof of his claims, he has begun the raising of silk worms in the attic of his home in The Bronx, New York.
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Giant Whale Makes 3000-Mile Trip Across the Country on a Trailer
PEOPLE living inland, who have never seen the ocean, to say nothing of a whale, will have the opportunity to satisfy their curiosity when this gigantic 32-foot whale, shown in the photo at the right, passes through their town on its 3000-mile overland journey from Los Angeles to New York. The great fish will be carried on a trailer, so that the curious can get a good view of its peculiarities. The whale’s flesh will be treated with chemicals that will preserve it against decay.

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Battling Deadly Crocodiles to Bring ‘Em in Alive

Capturing crocodiles alive along banks of Florida rivers proves to be an extremely hazardous, but at the same time an extremely lucrative occupation. If hunters can get close to a crocodile, they shoot him through the head to prevent damage to body skin. If close range shot is not possible, the “croc” is then trailed to his lair in under water burrow along river bank, in which he is imprisoned by means of board over entrance. Hunters locate the saurian’s head by prodding with iron rod, then dig a hole to the burrow. A gaff is next hooked under crocodile’s jaw, and he is pulled out.
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Super Dog-House was made from the Plexiglas section of a bomber’s gun turret and is a novel addition to the growing number of peacetime uses of products of war. At right, three-year-old Nancy Evans, of Detroit, Mich., makes friends with a cocker puppy, one of three occupants of the latest in abodes for canines.

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Making Fish Feel at Home in New York Aquarium

VISITORS to the famous New York aquarium are little aware, as they pass along before the amazing array of tanks containing fish of every shape and color, that behind the scenes of this remarkable institution there are thousands of feet of pipes, an intricate pumping system, a veri table hospital for ailing fish, and a staff of icthyologists whose task is to provide the fish with the most comfortable living quarters possible.

The hospital of the aquarium is equipped with microscopes, operating tables, a research laboratory, and even an ultra violet ray lamp for the treatment of afflicted fish. Here experts study all specimens of fish brought to them, and one of the results of their labors is that fish actually live longer in the tanks than they would in their native habitat. Read the rest of this entry »

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Armadillo Farm is Oddest Money Maker

by Edward B. Cope

Animals have been trapped for furs since the beginning of time, but the armadillo, queer armored creature of the Southwest, is only animal which is “shelled” to bring a cash return to farmer engaged in business of raising it.

THE strangest occupation in the world— that of raising animals which will later become articles of home decoration and furniture—is carried on by Charles Apelt on his armadillo farm near Comfort, Texas, 55 miles from San Antonio.
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Jet Noises Tried Out on Guinea Pigs

Jet engines make a lot of noise—enough to pain or perhaps harm your ears. To find out more about the effect of very loud noise on human ears, Air Force scientists at the Wright-Patterson Base are learning what it does to guinea pigs’ ears. The anesthetized animals (below) are placed in a soundproof room equipped with sound generators. Those are not earphones Dr. H. E. von Gierke is wearing, but muffs to protect his ears.

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Farms of Future to Have Giant Stock

WHAT will future ages do for food?

Some have suggested that the chemists will set up huge machines, to turn out proteins, starches, sugars, fats and vitamins, which will be taken in suitable “tabloid” doses daily by the population; that instead of farms, we will have only great chemical works, full of vats and tanks, while the outdoors is used for parking purposes exclusively. Read the rest of this entry »

Motor Ambulance Carries First Aid to Injured Dogs

DOGS injured by autos on the roads near London, England, now are cared for by a motor ambulance. A veterinary gives first aid on the spot, and if there is hope of saving the life of the pet, it is placed on a thick bed of straw and carried to a kennel for further treatment.

The ambulance is ready for service day and night, and is summoned by telephone. All the farmers living near the roads in the district outside of London covered by this service notify headquarters as soon as they are aware that an accident has taken place, and the cyclecar immediately starts.

Fido Gets Motorcycle Side-Car
BEFORE the bicycle went modern and acquired a motor, Fido could get his Sunday airing with the rest of the family under his own power. He can never hope, however, to keep up with the speedy motorcycle, so one English dog lover has installed a miniature sidecar for Fido’s private use. The tiny sidecar is equipped with its own private celluloid windshield which folds back as shown in the photograph below, protecting the dog from the elements.

Underwater Gallery for Aquarium

SHARKS are always intriguing to the curiosity—more so than lions; for you can less frequently get a good look at a shark. A professional shark hunter is now promoting plans for an open-water aquarium with, not tanks, but pens; and floating steel compartments from whose windows thrill seekers may watch the demons of the deep. The idea, as distinguished from its accomplishment, is very old; a medieval picture shows Alexander the Great in a (fabulous) submarine observatory.