Evening public ledger. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1914-1942, 1914-12-29
FOOD AN IMPORTANT
FACTOR IN FIXING
SEX IN ANIMALS
Scientist Tells His Fellows
of Influence as Seen in
Lower Orders-Plea for
Merchant Marine.

Food as influence in controlling sex in
certain animals, merchant marine and
'the web of treaties" were three impor-
tant subjects discussed today by eminent
men at the convention of the American
Association for the Advancement of Sci
ence.
Food has an influence In controlling sex
in rotifers who live, eat and sleep in the
dirty pools of water in barnyards of Phil
adelphIa. There are hundreds of such
pools in this city where only females can
be found.
Scientists today pictured the life of
rotifer. which is as small as ny.
According to DR.. David D. Whitney,
of Wesleyan University. of Middletown,
Conn. the female rotlfers seem happy
and contented as suffragettes
Many of the female rotifers produce
female children, none Of whom ever had
a father And the scientists who fol-
lowed Doctor Whitney insisted that
every one of the fair daughters always
grew up to maturity and in turn produced
healthy female children,
DIET AN IMPORTANT FACTOR.
Laboratory experiments which were
produced today showed that the diet of
these animals was an important factor
in controlling sex.
If the grandmothers and mothers con
fine themselves to constant diet of a
little colorless water animal, they pro-
duce exclusively females. II, however.
the diet of these same grandmas Is sud
denly changed to a little green water
animal, nearly all of the children who
follow are males.
Statistics brought forth today showed
that 400 grandmothers recently suddenly
changed their diet. They had been liv-
ing on the food which produced females.
They changed to eating little green water
animals. The result was that males were
born.
PLEA FOR MERCHANT MARINE.
Charles H. Sheriff.. former United
States Minister to Argentina, made plea
for a merchant marine. He spoke on
"A message from the country on foreign
trade" Mr.. Sheriff. drew from the
present conditions the world over a
series Of moral texts and preached to his
auditors the need Of cleaning our national
house, our personal hearts and minds and
AWAKENING 10 tn0 ueSua as well as the
opportunities Afforded by the present
time He said there had never been given
to this land a message so potent OF need
and opportunity as that which now
comes down the field" He was free to
say that in the last decade wonders OF
advancement had been accomplished IN
this land, but he emphasized the fact
that there is so much more to be done
that none can afford to waste a minute
lest the opportunity that knocks but once
at q natiohs door as well as at the door
of the Individual be lost.
The speaker dwelt with great emphasis
upon the need of a merchant marine.
and thought 1t was the solution OF our
greatest problem so far as concerns our
food crops and their disposal to the mar
kets OF the world. He said Ia parts
Everybody wants our merchant marine
assisted-it was promised BY all parties
In the campaign OF 1912 What hap
pened after the electlonf The Democratic
party, in control OF both. branches OF the
Congress and OF the executive enacted
the tarin Law OF October g. 1873, and IA
It put a section granting per cent re-
duction In duties 70 goods carried IA
American bottoms.
'sundry foreign Governmsnts promptly
filed protests with the state Department.
These foreign Governments had long been
planning 70 prevent any return by us 10
the laws which succeeded so brilliantly
In the early days Of our Republic.
NEW FREEDOM WANTED.
Chief among those governmental aids
70 enterprising exporters abroad Is re-
duced railroad rates 70 the seaboard
given for exports. and the encourag cement
for lEins which are competitors Ia the
home market 70 band together Tor foreign
trade
''1heir ecmpstitien aE home keeps aoWR
the home prices. but once across Their
national frontier they hghi onlq
Foreigners fna coubire a. 40 So. Now.
Hith Us 8 lower prefereutial rate oa
i4iifaaas fer g.rarl articles 2 lafhid-
aen 81 IA- tnterstasa cefce acs
aAa ae Ee qz W sta1. ssaila