12/87Rank of China’s annual cauliflower crop: 1

U.S. Department of Agriculture

8/91Number of times Nixon stopped to autograph food-ration cards during his trip to the Soviet Union last March: 1

Richard Nixon Library & Birthplace (Yorba Linda, Calif.)

3/98Maximum ratio of curvature to length allowed a Grade 1 cucumber under the E.U.’s new produce regulations: 1:10

European Commission (N.Y.C)

9/96Ratio of annual U.S. trade with the countries of the former Soviet Union to U.S. trade with Africa: 1:3

Council on Foreign Relations (Washington)/Washington Office on Africa

7/86Rank of the Soviet Union, South Africa, and the United States in per capita prison population: 1,2,3

From the Yaroslavsky Station, by Elizabeth Pond (Universe Books, New York City)