John Mann, age 11, of Renek, W. a., or his question:

 What are stratus clouds and cumulus clouds?

Cumulus clouds are those fluffy white masses that change from cherubs to cushions to castles in Spain. They float over sunny skies on the prevailing winds, making endless patterns of white on Wedgewood blue. For the cumulus are fine weather clouds. They may be three to four miles thick and they float a mile or more above our heads.

Stratus clouds are grim and gray. They hide the sky with filmy veils and dark streamers. They occur in layers. Sometimes the layers stretch side by side over the sky. Sometimes they are piled one upon another in a heavy overcast which completely hides the sky.

These grim, gray clouds are often as threatening as they look. For very often they are rain clouds. They may be 300 feet to a mile or more above the ground. When a stratus cloud comes down low enough to rest on the ground it is a fog.