# Quote From "Fads and fallacies" by Martin Gardner **URL:** \ **Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\ **Created:** [September 29, 2011, 5:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/quote-from-fads-and-fallacies-by-martin-gardner/598039 "2011-09-29T17:42:14Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 8\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![ralph124c](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/8797f3/32.png) [@ralph124c](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ralph124c)\ **Post date:** [September 29, 2011, 5:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/quote-from-fads-and-fallacies-by-martin-gardner/598039/1 "2011-09-29T17:42:14Z")
Having misplaced my copy, I found that my libaray didn’t have one. So my question: “in the hot summer, garden hoses began mysteriously burrowing into the earth”. What was this in reference to? ---
**Author:** ![TriPolar](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tripolar/32/3008_2.png) [@TriPolar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TriPolar)\ **Post date:** [September 29, 2011, 6:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/quote-from-fads-and-fallacies-by-martin-gardner/598039/2 "2011-09-29T18:45:44Z")
It wasn’t about garden hoses? ---
**Author:** ![Prelude\_to\_Fascination](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/a183cd/32.png) [@Prelude\_to\_Fascination](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Prelude_to_Fascination)\ **Post date:** [September 29, 2011, 6:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/quote-from-fads-and-fallacies-by-martin-gardner/598039/3 "2011-09-29T18:56:35Z")
I’ve got my copy of the 2nd edition, but it’s over 350 pages with appendix and notes, so there’s no way I can give a quick answer by searching through the book, and a google search brings up this thread. ---
**Author:** ![Andy\_L](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/c67d28/32.png) [@Andy\_L](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Andy_L)\ **Post date:** [September 29, 2011, 8:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/quote-from-fads-and-fallacies-by-martin-gardner/598039/4 "2011-09-29T20:16:36Z")
Here’s a link to a page image: [Fads and Fallacies in the Name of Science - Martin Gardner - Google Books](http://books.google.com/books?id=TwP3SGAUsnkC&printsec=frontcover&dq=fads+and+fallacies+in+the+name+of+science&hl=en&src=bmrr&ei=59CETt66D42atweh3rw1&sa=X&oi=book_result&ct=result&resnum=1&ved=0CC0Q6AEwAA#v=onepage&q=garden%20hoses%20&f=false) In context it appears to mean that newspaper writers, in attempting to find another craze like “flying saucers” to sell papers, briefly tried to hype reports that garden hoses were mysteriously sinking into the ground. My hypothesis is that a leaky garden hose will create localized erosion around it, resulting in the hose appearing to be “burrowing” into the ground. And here’s a comtemporary article on subject [The Montreal Gazette - Google News Archive Search](http://news.google.com/newspapers?id=uoMtAAAAIBAJ&sjid=iJkFAAAAIBAJ&pg=4752,319631&dq=garden+hose&hl=en) ---
**Author:** ![Andy\_L](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/c67d28/32.png) [@Andy\_L](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Andy_L)\ **Post date:** [September 30, 2011, 12:01am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/quote-from-fads-and-fallacies-by-martin-gardner/598039/5 "2011-09-30T00:01:12Z")
> [@Andy\_L](#): > > Here’s a link to a page image: [Fads and Fallacies in the Name of Science - Martin Gardner - Google Books](http://books.google.com/books?id=TwP3SGAUsnkC&printsec=frontcover&dq=fads+and+fallacies+in+the+name+of+science&hl=en&src=bmrr&ei=59CETt66D42atweh3rw1&sa=X&oi=book_result&ct=result&resnum=1&ved=0CC0Q6AEwAA#v=onepage&q=garden%20hoses%20&f=false) > > In context it appears to mean that newspaper writers, in attempting to find another craze like “flying saucers” to sell papers, briefly tried to hype reports that garden hoses were mysteriously sinking into the ground. My hypothesis is that a leaky garden hose will create localized erosion around it, resulting in the hose appearing to be “burrowing” into the ground. > > And here’s a comtemporary article on subject [The Montreal Gazette - Google News Archive Search](http://news.google.com/newspapers?id=uoMtAAAAIBAJ&sjid=iJkFAAAAIBAJ&pg=4752,319631&dq=garden+hose&hl=en) Page 330 by the way is where the quote appears. ---
**Author:** ![Andy\_L](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/c67d28/32.png) [@Andy\_L](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Andy_L)\ **Post date:** [October 1, 2011, 8:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/quote-from-fads-and-fallacies-by-martin-gardner/598039/6 "2011-10-01T20:26:43Z")
Where’d everybody go? ---
**Author:** ![TriPolar](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tripolar/32/3008_2.png) [@TriPolar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TriPolar)\ **Post date:** [October 1, 2011, 8:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/quote-from-fads-and-fallacies-by-martin-gardner/598039/7 "2011-10-01T20:44:05Z")
Well it actually was about garden hoses, and nobody believes the stories, so it’s kind of anti-climactic. The subject is a little bizarre, but it’s basically the same idea as the TV reporters who go stand outside in a hurricane or fry an egg on the sidewalk on a hot day. If there’s no news, make some up. ---
**Author:** ![Andy\_L](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/c67d28/32.png) [@Andy\_L](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Andy_L)\ **Post date:** [October 1, 2011, 8:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/quote-from-fads-and-fallacies-by-martin-gardner/598039/8 "2011-10-01T20:59:34Z")
> [@TriPolar](#): > > Well it actually was about garden hoses, and nobody believes the stories, so it’s kind of anti-climactic. The subject is a little bizarre, but it’s basically the same idea as the TV reporters who go stand outside in a hurricane or fry an egg on the sidewalk on a hot day. If there’s no news, make some up. That makes sense. Thanks.