GRASS PLUCKER

To the Editors of the CRIMSON:

On November 22d, 1953 I wrote James Powers, Sports Editor of the New York News, the following letter:

"As a Yale graduate (1915) who has seen most of the Y-P and Y-H games I saw an occurrence yesterday at the game in the Yale Bowl which makes me wonder whether I am dumb or just getting old. It occurred possibly fifteen minutes before the game began and had to do with a young Harvard student who apparently was connected with the Harvard football team in an official capacity. My wife and I were sitting in the general admission seats when down the field came the young Harvard student. At each five yard stripe he would reach down, pluck twice apparently at blades of grass, then hold his hand extended up in the air. He would not look up at his extended hand. However, when he brought his hand down he would look at it and jot down with pencil and paper his findings. He did this the entire length of the field and then reversed it, going back up the field, stopping at each five yard stripe and going through the same proceedings. He only did this on one side of the field to my knowledge. He then left the field, went in the Harvard entry and apparently reported his findings.

"My wife and I want to know what he was doing. Surely it was not to test the wind velocity as he never looked up at his extended hand. Certainly it was not to detect the moisture on his finger tips from the blades of grass. If it were just to detect the type of turf and the footing why the extended hand? Also we saw no motions between the young scientist (?) and the press box. I realize Harvard has a School of Mines but surely he was not looking for uranium in the Yale Bowl. Incidentally, one of his observations was at the exact spot on the six-yard Harvard line where Yale was in possession of the ball and unable to score.

"I give up. Can you answer this sixty-four dollar question? Incidentally, there were two gentlemen sitting in front of us who seemed to be just as bewildered by the antics of the serious young Harvard scientist as we were."

On December 14th I received the following reply from Mr. Powers:

"Thank you for your charming letter regarding the antics of the Harvard student at the recent Yale game.

I am as puzzled as you are. I have discussed the matter with our football writers, but they are mystified, too.

I hesitate to suggest that you write to Harvard regarding this problem. If I got a lead, I will surely advise you."

The incident still has me buffaloed, I am still wondering what the man of mystery was up to. I will admit that I do not actually know that he was a Harvard student, and I might say the incident occurred a half hour rather than fifteen minutes before the game began. It has been suggested that this individual may have been a prankster but his serious mien showed no evidence of it and he made his exit through the Harvard portal.

Kindly cure my insomnia, if possible, by an answer to this riddle. Samuel W. Mills, M.D.

He was checking wind direction at each part of the field. Football managers always do that.--Ed.