Evening star., 1939-08-31
BY THOMAS r.. HENRY,
Star Stan CORRESPONDENT.

Star Stan Correspondent.
EDINBURGH, Scotland, Aug. 81.
"A strange new" insect which has
defoliated $4,000 square miles of
Quebec spruce forest in nine years
and which appears in the form of
vast hosts of females giving rise
to new broods by parthogenesis was
described to the World Genetics
Congress, meeting here today, by
DR.. Stanley G. Smith, Montreal en-
tomologist.
BY the time the bug" was discov-
cred in 1890, DR.. Smith said, it al
ready had ravaged 1000 square
miles of virgin forest. 1t was, it was
thought, easily identified with a spe-
cies Of saw fly, hitherto unknown in
America but reported in Europe for
more than 100 years. Across the At
lantic, however, it was not very de-
etructive.
Minute examination showed
strange difference between the two
insects: Both we're capable of re-
producing by partnogenesis, as is
common among insects Unfertilized
eggs of the females would hatch. In
Europe, however, these eggs pro-
duced vast preponderance of males
not very destructive, and, of course,
incapable Of continuing the species,
Inc American broods were almost
entirely females. Males were found
only in ratio of about one in 1900.
The female insects were far more
destructive and every one could Law
eggs rom which big brood of de-
structlvely minded daughters would
arise. 1t seemed to be a case in
which the male had been eliminated
Inc lew born were poor functionless
creatures, who soon persisted. The
race seemed to be reverting to a
pre-male stage of terrible destruc-
tivenesS.
Foe Insects Released.
The provincial government is
nghtlng the deadly females by re-
leasing up to date 242,OOOOOO other
Insects which prey upon them and
40 not damage the trees. At pres
ent they seem to be holding the in
FdotIS III CneCK.
Genetlcists are concerned with q
weird problem as to where these fe-
male hosts came from and failure to
IND their like elsewhere made them
seem at first almost like invaders
from another world. In Europe the
insects OF a similar species, but
without the peculiar facilities for
destruction of the Canadian bugs,
we're best known in Czecho- -Slovakia.
Ihere, however, they not only were
domlnantly males but had quite diff
ferent habits of spinning cocoons
and different life histories. The
most logical probability was that the
pug had been introduced into
Canada from across the Atlantic.
but the existence of anything like
the new world type could not be
demonstrated in the Old World.
When the Czecho-S -Slovakian in
sects were studied in an English
laboratory, however, a few were
found which laid only parthogenetic,
female-producing eggs. 1t has been
impossible to breed the new type ex-
perlmentally. 1t seems likely, DR..
Smith pointed out, that the Cana
dian type is found in Europe side
by side with the others. Thus
the progenies mix and the predom-
inantly female hosts are kept rela-
lively insignificant. 1t was an &C
cident that the flood of deadly
femininity fell upon the Quebec
forests without the producing
type to keep them in order.
A new type of cotton now is be-
Ing bred in India, cloth woven from
which promises to be similar, if not
superior, to some which has re-
mained in good condition for 5000
years. it was reported by DR.. Rao V.
N. Rangamantha of the Mysore
State Experiment Station.
Cloth Found in Ruins.
The 5,000-year-old cloth was OBJ
tanned by archeologists excavating
the ruins of Mahenjadaro. 1t re-
vealed the fact, he said, that both
the cultivation and the weaving of
cotton had reached high level
from 1000 to 5000 years B. C.
When botanists examined the fiber
they determined that it was from a
variety still existing but not in
commercial cultivation. 1t is some
times found growing wild near old
temples, and of late years has been
introduced as a garden flower be-
cause of its snowy red flowers.
When they tried to gin this variety,
however, the output was poor.
They then tried hybridization
with varieties grown commercially
at present. Three very promising
strains already have been isolated,
although the breeding experiments
have only progressed to the third
generation. These are breeding true.
Sample of their fibers show them to
be almost identical with those of
the 5,000-year-old cloth.
Another disease. acholuric iaun-
dice, was added to the list of heredi-
tary human taints in report to the
Congress by Drs. R. R. Race, G.. l..
Taylor and j. M. Vaughan of Lon
don. The essential abnormality of
this disease is an increased fragility
of red blood cells and it has been
suspected in the past of running in
families, although in such a hap
hazard way that the suspicion could
not be verified.
Arteriosclerosis, the prevalent
Hardening of the arteries" associ-
ated with middle age, appears to be