462 The Journal 
based on the mere presence of the same 
trait in parent and child. They are 
based on many different kinds of proof 
of the most critical sort, which is often 
ignored but has never been contro- 
verted by the unscientific school of 
educators and the speculative school of 
psychologists. 
The evidence is good as far as it goes; 
and one may freely admit that it does 
not go far enough. That it goes no 
farther is not the fault of the geneticist, 
but of the psychologist. While a small 
body of able men is now steadily build- 
ing up a Psychology of Individual 
Differences, some of the most brilliant 
members of the profession are preferring 
to deal with affirmations and verbal 
concepts rather than with facts. If a 
luxuriant new hypothesis seems to make 
of Heredity 
it necessary, this type of psychologist 
appears to feel no hesitation about cover- 
ing inheritance with a cloud of dust and 
then asserting that the concealed object 
never existed. It is not surprising that 
some educators have been misled by 
this sort of procedure. 
The geneticist objects to any con- 
tinuation of it. The mass of exact 
and critical quantitative evidence for 
the inheritance of mental traits is still 
intact. Though we cannot yet isolate 
particular functions of the brain and 
show the precise mechanism by which 
they are inherited, we have nevertheless 
ample evidence to show that they are 
inherited—that, in general, the basic 
differences of the mind are as much due 
to ancestry as are differences of the 
body. 
German Horse-Breeding and the War 
The German Genetic Association has 
published a large volume investigating 
the war’s effect on horse-breeding. 
A review of the industry prior to the 
war is given, then the effect of mobiliza- 
tion is described. Details are given 
of the part played by various breeds 
in the field and how well they have met 
expectations. The evil effects of war 
on the industry are analyzed and 
means suggested of overcoming them 
and keeping horse-breeding up to a 
high level: it is suggested, for example, 
that the best breeding stock should not 
be exposed to danger, and, on the other 
hand, that all stock which shows itself 
particularly valuable during the actual 
experience of war should be noted, and 
used as much as possible for breeding 
subsequently. The practical but. all- 
inclusive nature of the book forms a 
good testimonial to the usefulness of 
the Deutsche Gesellschaft ftir Ztich- 
tungskunde which could prepare and 
publish it in the middle of the war, as 
it has done. 
An Experiment in 
Sunflower seeds form an important 
source of oil in Russia and Th. Sazy- 
perow has therefore undertaken to 
breed a strain which will be resistant 
to rust and other plant diseases. He 
crossed Helianthus annuus with H. 
argophyllus and describes the first two 
hybrid generations in the Bulletin of 
Applied Botany, Petrograd, May, 1916. 
Rust resistance is reported to be a 
Mendelian recessive, inherited separ- 
Sunflower Breeding 
ately from certain forms of leaf which 
were thought to be important in pre- 
venting the development of rust. It 
will be recalled that Biffen found rust 
resistance in wheat was also an inherited 
character. The discovery that disease 
resistance in plants is an aspect of 
Mendelian heredity, opens up a wide 
field for practical and theoretical ad- 
vances in genetics. Mr. Sazyperow is 
continuing his researches. 
