NATURE AS A NATURE-FAKER 



now A IKKVK <)(( IKS 



In ])roducin<,r the freak illustrated 

 lierewith nature assumed the same r61e 

 as the student of entomoloj^y who soufjht 

 to fool his i^rofessor by makinj^ up an 

 insect from the parts of se\-eral unre- 

 lated insects. The si^ecimen was a 

 cliancc find by a man in northeast 

 Texas. lie was honest in his belief 

 that the wheat head had produced two 

 kernels of oats. 



The specimen was perfect; the oat 

 pedicels came from the base of the 

 central kernel of one of the lower spike- 

 lets of the wheat head, the attachment 

 bein^^ completely hidden by the stiff 

 outer glumes crowded together at this 

 point. On the left is shown the wheat 

 head with the oat kernels attached and 

 on the right the results of dissection 

 with the aid of moisture. The oat 

 ])e(licel was wrapped com])letely and 

 tightly around the base of the central 

 floret of the wheat spikelet. The oppor- 

 tunity for this queer behavior must have 

 been afforded ]:)y the fact that an oat 

 plant grew close to the wheat plant and 

 while the pedicel was very young and 

 sensitive the head of wheat and oats 

 were brought together by some agency, 

 ] )resumabl\- wind. The pedicel behaved 

 as a tendril and upon nearing maturity 

 ])ulled the oats from the ])arent oat 

 ])lant. (Fig. 19.) 



E. P. Hu.MIiKRT, 



Apiciiltiiral Experiment Station, 



C^oUcs^e Station, Texas. 



Food in War Time 



FOOD IX W.AR TLMP:. by Graham Lusk, 

 Profcs.sor .)f Pliy.siolosy, Cornell University 

 Medical College in New York City. Pp. 40. 

 W. H. Saunder.s Comi)any. Philadelphia. 



I)r. I.u-k points out a(lniiral)]\- well 

 the important fundamentals of food and 

 nutrition and lays down valuable sug- 

 gestions for a balanced diet of war time 

 foods. This is particularly valuable at 

 the present time, when many are anxi- 

 ous to effect a change of diet in order 

 to comply with rulings of the Food .\(1- 

 ministration. but line! themselves un- 

 able to do so satisfactorily, 'j'he second 

 192 



chapter deals with calories in common 

 life and presents figures showing calo- 

 ries used i)er scjuare meter of body 

 -tirface at difYcrent ages and in vari- 

 ous occupations. F^xhaustive taljlcs are 

 ])resented showing cost of one thou.sand 

 calories in various foodstuffs. Eight 

 rules of safety and .saving are -et forth 

 in the third chapter, which summarize 

 llie fundamentals of the di.scussion. and 

 furnish an easily followed guide toward 

 food habits which will not only follow 

 the rulings of conservation but will also 

 ])e entirely enjoyable. 



