Evening star., 1937-03-02

In the broad valleys of the Tigris and
the Euphrates great agricultural civili-
Zation f1ourished as much as 1000 years
ago.
Here the arts of cultivating the soil
and rearing crops had perhaps their
greatest development in the whole his
tory of the race. From the dawn OF
history farmers were selecting seed,
bringing wild plants into domestication
and laying the foundations for about all
the processes of farming.
The country Is stilled "farmed." 1t is
by no means so populous, prosperous or
productive as in Bible days. Neither is
it so closely cultivated. The arts of
agriculture haven't advanced very much
in a couple of milleniums. But some
of the ancient crops themselves have
persisted, indicating what may be an
extraordinary resistance against disease.
Two Department of Agriculture ex-
plorers, H. L. Westover and F. L. Well
man, have just collected more than
$500 specimens Of seeds and bulbs to
be grown and tested in the United
States, with the hope that some OF
these resistant qualities may be found
and perpetuated. Included are varieties
Of clover, alfalfa, vetcheS, beans, corn,
wheat, rye, many vegetables, fruits and
Towering plants.
None of these, it is likely. represent
pure strains. Until very recently the
Turkish farmers have made little effort
to keep up standards.
Two favorite vegetables of the area
today, the explorers report, are squash
and eggplant. The squash are similar
to those grown in this country, but some
of the eggplants are as large as small
pumpkins. Melons are plentiful and
are the crop of which the native farm
ers are most proud. Some of them reach
gigantic proportions. In the bed of the
Tigris Westover and Wellman found
some weighing as much as $50 pounds.
Back in war days, when ability to fool
the doctor by raising temperature was
the peak of soldering" finesse. one
supposedly infallible method was the
swallow q few fakes of the familiar
brown laundry soap issued by the sup
ply sergeant.
Those heroic men who tried it usually
reported success. 1t would send the
mercury line Of a clinical thermometer
up around 100 for half a day or more.
AS likely as not the fortunate soldier
would spend day or so in the camp
hospital, safe from work and Saluting.
Puzzled medical corps captains and
majors might consult about him. He
had, at least, relief from monotony.
Whether anything in the soap actually
had anything to do with the phenom-
enon is hard to say. The method was
Of such long standing and vouched
for by such eminent and experienced
barracks authorities that everybody be-
lieved in it, and suggestion may account
for the results.
There were other ways Of accomplish
ing the same result, but none of them
had so consistent record of success.
But in the current issue of Science,
journal of the American Association
for the Advancement of Science, Ona
K. De Foe of the st. Louis College of
Pharmacy reports Temperature rails
ing" phenomenon which anybody who
ever expects to be soldier had better
set down in his notebook. It is simple,
not at all drastic, and anybody should
be able to master the technique. More
over, any medical corps officer who
happens to read the announcement
probably will have forgotten all about
it before the next war. The only diff
Guilty is that the doctors attention
must be distracted for few seconds.
First. wrap the bulb of the thermome-
ter in a dry cloth-say handkerchief.
Then blow the breath against it Violent