Los Angeles herald., 1909-04-24


departments of activity which 1t pur-
sues the results so far found are mean
ingless to the layman. The most pro-
found patience is required. Not days,
not wears, not even q lifetime are ex-
pected to serve to bring out the ultl-
mate truth, but slowly and surely the
work of investigation will go on until
the treasures hidden in the rocks OF
truth are exposed to the worlds view.
Take. for instance. the department of
experimental evolution. Since the very
beginning of the institution 1t has been
plugging away at the solution or the
mysteries of life, the laws OF heredity
and allied problems.
It will be years and years before any
great truths can be arrived at, yet by
Wholesale if slow experimentation the
truth will certainly be brought to light
in the end. Taking the human as a
study, the department has verified the
theory that the children of blue-eyed
parents are certain to be blue-eyeo,
while il one of the parents has brown
eyes, some of the children are apt TO
have eyes of that color. In the mat
ter of hair it was shown that the emil
dren of parents both of whom nave
straight hair, cannot have curly hair.
1t is also proved that seldom does the
child have hair darker than that OF
the darker of it's parents. Applying
this theory and carrying 1t to its logi-
cal conclusion, 1t Is hoped that the
Improvement of the human family may
become ont of the actualities OF the
future.
From his studies Director Davenport
concludes that the offspring tends to
rise to no higher grade in quality or
character than the parents, which &C
counts for the deleterious effect OF In
breeding, whenever it occurs. DIR. Lutz
has gathered clear evidence of the de-
generation of the wings of vinegar
flies through inbreeding. Albinism, I'M
perfect sense organs and low Nintelli-
gence are some of the results in the
human family. These few examples
are only hints of the vast deal of pa
tient research that is being made by
the department of experimental evoiu-
ton. The experiments of Luther Bur
bank are being studied from the scien-
tific standpoint by representative OF
the institution, and he Is getting to-
gether many remarkable Things Win
reference to plant heredity.
In the department of botanical re-
search much wonderful work has been
ACCOMPLISHED. The investigation into
plant life have revealed many things
hitherto unknown, and have laid the
foundations for many broader expert
ments in the future. Perhaps the most
|
with reference to the generation of
plants. BY the use of chemicals in
jected into the flowers at the proper
moment, the experimenters have been
able to break the laws of plant heredi-
ty. and to force the plants to go con-
trary to the principle, latter his own
kind shall each bring forth" Director
McDougal believes that after a fur
Their study, man may be able to modify
the entire progeny of plant, and to
give those notifications definite trend
or direction, by which man might con-
troll the evolution of other organisms
and produce relations among living
things not now existent.
The work of the department OF eco
Monies and sociology has been highly
fruitful of results during the past year.
The department has 204 people at work
collecting contributions to American
economic history. The purpose of the
department is not to write history it,
self, but to get together in logical and
chronological form the data for the
historian. The work of the department
is divided into number of branches.
DR.. Walter r. Wilcox of Cornell is in
charge of that branch relating to pop
ulation and immigration. He holds
that the central theme of modern his
tory is not the growth of liberty or
the spread of democratic institutions,