THE CHINA
MAIL,
SATURDAY, JUNE 29, 1929.
Fourth Pacific Science Congress
(Continued from page 1.)
at their best. Tjibodas is the na- ture reserve and biological experi mental station in the mountains The
Palaeolithic Man prefers more limited biological trip to blondes-At the caves at Sam Tjibodas that the hosts were seen poeng. where many implements and remains of neolithic and palaeoli- thie man are being unearthed it is noticeable how much the lighter shades of rouge predominate of the darker shades This Prof. Elliot Smith humorously remark ed, showed that palacolithic man preferred blondes.
Nothing could have exceeded the eloquent diguity of his speech at the closing meeting proposing a
accommodational facilities were taxed to their uttermost to shelter the select group of a dozen or more biologists who availed themselves of this trip.
An Earthly Paradise
But the two biological leaders were in their element. Nothing could exceed the kindness of the hosts. We were a motley crew-3
vote of thanks to the numerous Dutch (counting the leaders); 3 organisations, clubs, companies, firing, and the Press for their kind-Japanese; 2 Americans; I Scots. ness and hospitality to the mem-Canadian; 1 Filipino; 1 Swede; 1 Norwegian; 1 Englishman; .Irish- bers of the Congress, and every
1 Czecho-Slovakiap man; one to whom English is a mother tongue must have felt somewhat the resource and goodfellowship of our hosts never deserted them; of a thrill of pride.
and Tjibodas was a veritable para- 'dise.
Java is unique fertility and is thus #rich flora and
in its harbouring fauna. It
Dr. K. W. Dammermuu, Chief, Zoological Museum and Labora tory, Buitenzorg.
also is unique in offering almost in process of solution a demon- stration of the problem of animal and plant distribution.
The Merca of all Botanists.-- These facts perhaps have helped to give it the beautiful zoological museum at Buitenzorg and the Botanical Gardena, one of the most beautiful in the world, and as one speaker observed, 'the Mecen of all botanists in the Far East'. And two of the most attractive per- sonalities at the Congress were na- turally, Dr. Van Leeuwentand. Dr.. Dammerman. Dr. Van Leeuwen is the Director of the Botanical Gar- dens at Buitenzog and is one of the greatest authorities on the "flora of the East Indies. He has made a
But
One of the biggest and most difficult problems that faces thoughtful men is that of forestry. Probably more irrevocable mis- takes have been made in connec tion with it than with any other practical problem continents denuded, islands made into barren wastes, whole regions laid fallow. Countries like Australia or New Zealand where, short-sighted po- licies
sometimes hold sway or countries like China where chaotic conditions may reign for long periods, seem to suffer especially.
Only those with a broad outlook, who think in centuries not in years,, and whose vision is continental not parochial, should undertake or
work be employed in the
of forestry. Orgànising abilities of a above all unique character and "the rapture of the forward view" are the essential equipments for the
Congress gatherings pass pleasant- ly for many. Both of these au- thorities have been long acquaint- ed with their respective Island homes in the East, and both of them could say with the great American poet:-
"Who does his duty is a question Too complex to be solved by me: But he, I venture the suggestion, Does part of his who plants a tree",
Sugar-One of the big indus- tries of Java is sugar production. In one of the London papers a few months ago Prof. Jullar Huxley told us that "The Dutch in Java "had started to get a strain of "sugar cane which would yield "more than the existing canes and
Pref. T. W. Vaughan, Director, Scripps Institution of Ocean. ography, California, U.S.A.
"resist the various diseases which "afflict sugar canes".
One of the men to whom this is partly due is Prof. Jeswiet who
Prot. W. A. Betchell, Depart- 'ment of Botany, University of
California; U.S.·
made an aeroplane trip to one of the more out-of-the-way parts, of New Guinea, and there discovered several new wild species of sugar None of cane (Saccharum sp.). these wild canes had any sugar in them. But one of them when of flg (Ficus evez (?))
crosed with a Javanese cultivated life and controller of forest areas. Tr.variety has given new Wind and Dr. Fischer, the con- vitality to the Javanese sugar in- trollers in Java and the Philipinesdustry.
Prof. Jeswiet, examining a
leaf
respectively, who by their organis. Where did the Sugar cane come ing ability and watchful care have from? done so much for the timber re- As with many other cultivated there - is a good deal serve of the Pacifie, by their plants charming personality made the of diference of opinion as to the
the oceans,
Two Headhunting D yaks from Borneo, home country from which the blems dealing with sugar cane originally came. The ancient Israelies attributed it to 'a far country (Jeremiah VI. 20) Prof. Jeswiet favours New Guinea. There are many varieties both of the wild and domestic form: there. Ruť one
of the pecull things about them is that while the wild forms have long internodes the domestic forms of 'New Guinea, bave short internodes.
ocean deeps, coral islands, insular floras and faunaa, and the re sultant-problems of distribution, animal and plant reserves, and quarantine.
The multiplicity of wild forms of Saccharum in. New Guinea which has been used as a proof that this was its place of origin might also be used as an indication of the species reverse." Occasionally which remain stable at the centre of origin tend to diverge into a number of species and sub-species when introduced into habitat.
а new
Prof. Jeswiet seems also to think that tobacco had a long-established home in New Guinea, and that there at all events it was not the recent gift of Raleigh and the New World.
The cannibal peoples whom he met impressed Prof. Jeswiet very favourably. Their clothes consist- ed of a shell one of which be ob tained from the person of a chief.
Prof. Miyoshi, Emeritus profes- sor of Botany in Tokyo University, author of many monographs on botany in English, German and Japanese.
Speculators on the origin and use of clothes should take note of this fact as it may throw light on the hidden mysteries which envelop primitive sartorial arrangements.. The Pacific is the home of pro
AN ARTIST'S IMPRESSION OF THE SCIENCE CONGRESS
Illustrious representativea of many of these phases of scientific research were among the attractive figures at the meetings. Prot.
Dr.
Bureau Japan.
Kuwana,
Entomologist,
of Agriculture, Tokyo,
Vaughan, the Chairman of the Committee on oceanography, and on coral reefs a great authority had some interesting duels with his fellow-countryman Prof. Set- chell, one of the greatest authori- ties on the seaweeds.
These duels were of the mental and verbal kind" where avoirdupois did not count. Prof. Setchell, un- less I misunderstood him, was all for the coral reef as a biological unit with the sea weed. Litho- thamnium as its dynamic point of origin: in fact. if this Lithos thamnium ridge did not appear the coral and fulfil its function island simply ceased to be a coral island and might be called some- thing else. He was naturally at deadly enmity with the geologist who simply looked on the coral
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Dr, R. Wind, Director, Forest Research Institute, Buitenzorg.
special study of the flora of Krakatau and the surrounding islands and has published much on them..
is the Dr Dammerman, who Director of the Zoological Museum, has just published fascinating and beautifully illustrated book "The Agricultural Zoology of the Malay Archipelago. This book is in English, and as many of the species treated or mentioned ex- tend to Hong Kong or the neigh bourhood, it deserves careful study
Dr. C. M. Cooke, Malacologist, Bernice P. Bishou Museum, Honolulu, Hawaiian Islands.
reef as so much mass af rock. All the vials of his wrath were thus poured out on the poor geologist who had dared to put his foot on sacred biological territory.
On Pacific plant problems war Prof. Miyoshi, the Emeritus plo- fessor of Botany in Tokyo Univer- sity, who has written botanical works in English, German, and his native tongue. Also among the Japanese was Dr Kuwana well-
HONG KONG BENEVOLENT SOCIETY
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To Mrs. Shellshear
Hon. Treasurer H.K.B.S.
Hong Kong University.
Madam,
Kindly enroll me as a Member of the above Society. I enclose $12.00 as Annual Subscription.
Tours Faithfully,
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Dr. Van Es, of the Geological Survey of Jata
Hawail, one of the greatest living ing the cheery days of May last.. authorities on the mollusca. It There was Dr Van Es, the leader to. s said that he can tell you from Trinil who almost convinced us which Island in the Pacific every that we had got specimens of snall shell youg him comes. Pithecanthropus erectus No. 2. He is, tou, an expert breeder of Prof. Mortensen of Copenhagen, . Hibiscus plants. And notwith one of the greatest living authori an entomologist and a standing all this erudition hle un- ties on the echinoderms and on great authori
scale in assuming modesty and natural his way to the British Association written reserve make him one of the mest in South Africa, who talked fuently as many languages * as He accessible of men
known as
sects on which he
many important mor
is Director of the tine Station of Japan to sit on he scans. for some of And then
ant: Quaran,
Time and space fail me to give a there were plagues of Egypt. Years seem list of the numerous others who Nor must we leave out the lightly as helped to enliven the wanes and great groups from all the tribes of org add their quota to the founts of the Iglands Drake, Sundanese knowledge and suggestion which and Papuan who left such an at Bandoeng dur- Indelible impress on the Congress. Cooke of fowed so