Hamilton: What to Say about Marriage? 81 
fluences affecting marriage. One of 
these influences is undoubtedly the will- 
ingness of a growing number of us to ap- 
proach marriage frankly and open-eyed 
as to the desirable elements that go to 
make it a success. Another influence, 
that results in a demand for such ve- 
hicles as our marriage papers, is the 
narrow range of acquaintance between 
our young men and young women. This 
tricts, from which most of these pathetic 
advertisementscome. Butitis true wher- 
ever I have travelled, and while such 
a subject does not lend itself easily to 
scientific treatment, a discussion of some 
of the related facts that are constantly 
coming to hand, and wherein we may 
read the signs of the times may prove 
profitable. Inasubsequent article Iam 
to be allowed the privilege of presenting 
is especially the case in our rural dis- these. 
| Plant Breeding in Kansas 
Three distinct lines of plant breeding are under way at the Kansas State Experi- 
ment Station: (1) the breeding of cereals for disease resistance; (2) the breeding 
of alfalfa for drouth resistance; (3) the breeding of maize for the same quality. 
Numerous hybrids have been made between four rust-resistant wheat species— 
an emmer, two durum wheats and an einkorn—on the one hand, and various 
pure lines of winter wheat originated at the station, on the other. A considerable 
number of hybrids have been produced recently between Khapli, one of the best 
resistant spring grains, and a number of pure lines of winter wheat. In the en- 
deavor to breed smut-resistant sorghums, many crosses have been made between 
milo, which is entirely resistant to both the grain and the head smuts, and two 
kafirs and feterita. 
The alfalfa project 1s being carried forward by hybridization between various 
strains and species of Medicago sativa, falcata and ruthenica; the drouth-enduring 
species M. arborea, a perennial plant from the drier parts of the Mediterranean; 
and some drouth-resistant root-propagating alfalfa plants obtained from the 
Colorado Experiment Station; and, as the other parent, some of the best pure 
lines of commercial alfalfa, picked out by the department of botany at the Kansas 
station. 
The maize-breeding project is further advanced, in that three families out of 
forty-four originating from hybrids of 1910 showed evidence of extreme resistance 
to drouth in the F, generation during the very severe summer of 1913. Of these 
three families, the most conspicuously successful originated from a cross of the 
drouth-resistant Mexican variety known as Esperanza with the F, generation of a 
cross between a western Kansas white dent corn known as Sherrod’s and a strain 
imported from China. Under the high temperatures of the summer of 1913 the 
leaves of the creation described did not burn, fire or cook, but only rolled slightly, 
while fields of ordinary corn were practically destroyed. The strain has an un- 
usually strong development of leafage and bears a fair-sized ear of the white dent 
type; the station thinks it will be a marked success when tried on a commercial 
scale. 
‘Journal of Heredity” Used as College Textbook 
The current issues of the JouRNAL oF Herepity have been designated as one 
of the required textbooks in the class in Heredity and Genetics, by Professor 
William H. Gates, of the Louisiana State University, and special arrangements 
have been made to supply the JouRNAL to the twelve students in the class during 
the present semester. 
