April 21, 192 1] 



NATURE 



25' 



which differ in their action on particular wheat 

 varieties. Rust nurseries have been established for 

 isolating, and experimenting with the effects of, 

 various races of rust. It was found that numerous 

 biologic forms of this fungus sometimes existed in 

 the same locality, a wheat variety being susceptible 

 to some and resistant to others. This greatly com- 

 plicates the work of breeding for rust resistance, but 

 an emmer wheat from India has been found to be 

 resistant to all forms of rust yet encountered. The 

 conception of bridging species, or the modification in 

 virulence of a fungus by growth on an intermediate 

 host, is being discredited by the further investigation 

 of these biologic races. 



In a recent paper by Messrs. H. K. Hayes, J. H. 

 Parker, and C. Kurtzweil {Jourri. Agric. Research, 

 vol. xix.. No. 11) the authors studied the inheritance 

 of rust resistance and its correlation with botanical 

 characters in crosses between Triticum vulgare and 

 varieties of T. durum and T. 4icoccum. To eliminate 

 the presence of different biologic races of the fungus, 

 all barberry bushes were eradicted and the wheat- 

 plants sprayed with spores, from the rust nursery. 

 The common wheats, such as Marquis, were sus- 

 ceptible, the durums, such as Kubanka, "com- 

 mercially resistant," while the emmer varieties were 

 practically immune. In crosses between emmer and 

 common wheats resistance was found to be partially 

 dominant, while in crosses between durum and 

 common wheats susceptibility was completely dominant. 

 In Fj and F, generations segregation occurred, with 

 indications of linkage between durum or emmer head 

 characters and rust resistance. Some of the resistant 

 tvpes obtained were more resistant than the original 

 parents. This study contains a number of other valu- 

 able observations. 



In connection with the work of Engledow (referred to 

 in Nature of September 30, 1920, p. 158) on the lateral 

 florets of barley, it was shown that Hordeum inter- 

 medium Haxtoni, which is intermediate between two- 

 rowed and six-rowed barley in the fertility of its lateral 

 florets, occurs as a homozygous form which will breed 

 true, and that it represents a unifactorial difference 

 from hexastichiitn. The production of Haxtoni in a 

 number of crosses is described by H. V. Harlan and 

 H. K. Hayes (Journ. Agric. Fes., vol. xix., No. 11), 

 and an explanation of the difference between two- 

 rowed and six-rowed barley on a two-factor hypothesis 

 is suggested. The six-rowed barlevs are believed to 

 be homozygous for the presence of an epistatic factor, 

 the intermedium homozygous for the absence of the 

 epistatic factor and for the presence of the hypostatic 

 factor, the two-rowed barlevs being homozygous for 

 the absence of both factors. R. R. G. 



University and Educational Intelligence. 



Mr. .'\. R. HiNKS, the Gresham lecturer on astro- 

 nomy, will deliver a course of four free public lec- 

 tures on " Recent Work on the Nebulae " at Gresham 

 College, Basinghall Street, E.G. 2, on April 26-29 at 

 6 o'clock. 



The Vienna correspondent of the Lancet states that 

 by an Order of the .Austrian Board of Education the 

 fees payable by students of the medical faculties of 

 Austrian universities have been increased in such a 

 wav that for this summer term and onwards foreigners 

 will have to pay more heavily than Austrians. For 

 graduation the increase for foreigners is 1000 per cent, 

 of the present fee, while for tuition, etc., an increase 

 of 2500 per cent, is to be made ; the general increase 



NO. 2686, VOL. 107] 



for Austrian students will be 50 per cent. The object 

 of this preferential treatment is to compensate in part 

 for the rate of exchange, which is now so favourable 

 to foreigners, but the foreign student will still be able 

 to study at a very small expenditure, for it is cal- 

 culated that classes of four and six hours weekly will 

 cost only Ss. and 12s. respectively per term. The 

 increase was also rendered necessary by the action 

 of the Rockefeller Foundation in making their grant 

 of 60,000 dollars conditional on increasing the fees of 

 foreign students. It was considered unjust that an 

 impoverished State should enable foreign students to 

 obtain a first-class medical education at a cost far 

 below that of equivalent education in their own 

 countries. 



The foundation-stone of the new University of 

 Lucknow was laid on Saturday, March 19, by Sir 

 Harcourt Butler, Lieutenant-Governor of the United 

 Provinces {Pioneer Mail, March 25^ An address of 

 welcome was presented by the Vice-Chancellor, Rai 

 G. A. Chakravarty Bahadur, in the course of which 

 it was mentioned that an attempt would be made to 

 resuscitate national ideals in the new University. 

 After laying the foundation-stone Sir Harcourt Butler 

 delivered an address, paying eloquent tribute to the 

 generosity of the people of Oudh which had made 

 possible the foundation of a university. He said that 

 whereas at the convocation speeches at Allahabad 

 University he had urged the importance of scientific 

 training and research, at Lucknow, an ancient centre 

 of literature and poetry, he made a special plea for 

 the study of the humanities. The University should 

 be organised according to modern ideas, which in 

 many particulars, such as in teaching and residence, 

 conform with indigenous ideals of education. On 

 March 21, when the first annual meeting of the court 

 of the University was held under the presidency of 

 the Vice-Chanceilor, it was announced that a sum 

 of nearly 30 lakhs of rupees had been promised in 

 subscriptions. 



The President of the Board of Education has con- 

 stituted an Adult Education Committee to promote 

 the development of liberal education for adults, and in 

 particular to bring together national organisations 

 concerned with the provision of adult education, so 

 as to secure mutual help and prevent overlapping and 

 waste of effort; to further the establishment of local 

 voluntary organisations for the purpose and of ar- 

 rangements for co-operation with local education 

 authorities ; and to advise the Board of Education 

 upon any matters which the Board may refer to the 

 Committee. The members of the Committee are : — 

 The Bishop of Manchester (chairman). Dr. J. G. 

 .Adami, Alderman F. Askew, Mr. C. W. Bowerman, 

 M.P., the Rev. D. H. S. Cranage, Lord Gorell, Mr. 



B, S. Gott, Prof. J. A. Green, Miss Grace Hadow, 

 Mr. .Alfred Holmes, the Rev. F. E. Hutchinson, Prof. 

 F. B. Jevons, Prof. J. Harry Jones, Mr. C. L. Kings- 

 ford, Mr. John Lea, Mr. J.M. Mactavish, Mr. Albert 

 Mansbridge, Prof. J. H. Muirhead, Sir Isambard 

 Owen, the Rev. R. St. J. Parrv, Lt.-Col. H. A. 

 Powell, Mr. W. R. Rae, Sir Harrv R. Reichel, Mr. 

 Arnold Rowntree, Mr. A. L. Smith, Mr. R. H. 

 Tawney, Mr. G. Thompson, Mr. H. Pilkington 

 Turner, Dr. R. Mullineux Walmsley, Miss Phoebe 

 Walters, and the Rev. Basil A. Yeaxlee. Mr. 



C. O. G. Douie, an assistant principal under the 

 Board of Education, is secretary. Mr. E. K. 

 Chambers and Col. M. Earle will attend meetings on 

 behalf of the Board of Education and the Army 

 Council. 



