China's Trees and Otirs Strikingly Alike 



281 



survive, and present today one of the 

 most strikin<^ examples of similarity in 

 floras due to survival of related species 

 after separation. 



There appears to be not the sli,c;htest 

 reason why such a tree as the Lirioden- 

 dron should not be found in England 

 or some European locality just as well 

 as in China for when planted there it 

 will grow and seed, and no explanation 



has yet been devised which points out 

 any valid causefor its absence. Itsimply 

 is not found there. But although its 

 al^sence in Europe is not accounted for, 

 its presence, together with the Hickory 

 and Sassafras, in China forms a striking 

 example of similarity in widely separated 

 floras due to the survival, through adap- 

 tability, of three common species of 

 American trees. 



Lowered Birth Rate in Germany and Hungary 



Although reliable statistics are now 

 hard to secure, scattered but fairly rep- 

 resentative reports indicate that the 

 population of Germany is shrinking, 

 more from a lowered birth rate than 

 from actual casualties on the front, in 

 spite of the efforts the German govern- 

 ment is making to produce children for 

 the fatherland 



The statistics of the ]\Iannheim Bu- 

 reau giving birth and death rates before 

 and after the outbreak of the war, as 

 quoted in Eugcnical Nczvs, March, 

 1918, are typical of the situation now 

 existing. In 1914, the birth rate per 

 thousand was 29.01, with a death rate 

 of 13.13, leaving an excess of birth of 

 15.68 ])er thousand. In 1917, the birth 

 rate has shrunk to 16.57, while the death 

 rate, enlarged by war losses and ab- 

 normal conditions, has increased to 

 17.28. resulting in a deficiency of 0.71 

 per thousand in the birth rate. There is 

 a great increase of deaths among per- 

 sons over sixty years of age, due to the 

 poor food and anxieties of war. 



Hungary seems to be but little better 



off. 



The following statistics were read 



I)y the Karolyist deputy, Lodovico 

 I folio, to the Hungarian Chamber of 

 13eputies, at the session of TaiUiarv 16, 

 1918. 



"Births.— Before the war 765,000 

 children a year were born in Hungary. 

 In the first year of the war, 1914, the 

 number of births was reduced bv 

 18.000; in 1915 only 481,000 children 

 \ycre born — that is, 284,000 less than in 

 time of peace. In 1916 the number of 

 births was 333,000 — that is, a reduction 

 of 432.000. In 1917 the births amounted 

 to 328,000 — that is, the reduction was 

 438,000. Therefore our losses (in Hun- 

 gary alone) behind the front reach the 

 number of 1,172,866 individuals. 



"Deaths. — Whereas in time of peace 

 infant mortality, for a period of seven 

 years, was 34 per cent, in 1915, the pro- 

 portion was increased to 48 per cent, 

 and in 1916 to 50 per cent." 



''These facts," said Hollo, "prove 

 what sacrifices Hungary is making, to 

 the prejudice of her own people, to con- 

 tinue the war." 



Citrus Hybridization 



In the spring of 1914 extensive hy- 

 bridization of citrus fruits was begun at 

 Riverside. Crosses have been made be- 

 tween varieties of orange, lemon, pom 



These crosses are partly within the bo- 

 tanical _ species, for instance between 

 Valencia orange and Mediterranean 

 Sweet orange; many, however, are be- 



elo, and mandarin (tangerine), besides tween different species, as between 

 a few crosses of bergamot orange. Dancy tangerine and Marsh pomelo. 



