How was the poor fellow to mix the three teas? Could you have shown him
how to do it?


370.--A PACKING PUZZLE.

As we all know by experience, considerable ingenuity is often required
in packing articles into a box if space is not to be unduly wasted. A
man once told me that he had a large number of iron balls, all exactly
two inches in diameter, and he wished to pack as many of these as
possible into a rectangular box 24+9/10 inches long, 22+4/5 inches
wide, and 14 inches deep. Now, what is the greatest number of the
balls that he could pack into that box?


371.--GOLD PACKING IN RUSSIA.

The editor of the _Times_ newspaper was invited by a high Russian
official to inspect the gold stored in reserve at St. Petersburg, in
order that he might satisfy himself that it was not another "Humbert
safe." He replied that it would be of no use whatever, for although the
gold might appear to be there, he would be quite unable from a mere
inspection to declare that what he saw was really gold. A correspondent
of the _Daily Mail_ thereupon took up the challenge, but, although he
was greatly impressed by what he saw, he was compelled to confess his
incompetence (without emptying and counting the contents of every box
and sack, and assaying every piece of gold) to give any assurance on the
subject. In presenting the following little puzzle, I wish it to be also
understood that I do not guarantee the real existence of the gold, and
the point is not at all material to our purpose. Moreover, if the reader