A Chinese bo tree?

The trees seen in this picture taken in Beijing, China have leaves very much like the bo tree which is rather common in Sri Lanka. The way the leaves spread, and the drooping (hanging) branches also give it an appearance similar to the bo tree found here.

The bo tree, which is considered sacred by Buddhists, is related to the banyan tree, which is known to have originated (started) in India and is held sacred by Hindus.

Banyan trees of more than one type are found in Sri Lanka. One kind spreads its branches far away. Prop roots grow down from the branches to the ground, and hold up the heavy branches. In this type of tree, prop roots also grow around the main trunk of the tree.

In the bo tree, roots grow around the main trunk and make the trunk bigger so that the tree could hold its spreading branches.

Birds eat the fruits of all types of banyan and bo trees and take the seeds to other places, where they grow. The bo tree may have originated around India and through millions of years, spread to China.

In China and its surrounding countries, there are four seasons, including winter and long periods of dry weather. So all trees, including the bo tree, may not grow as big, with heavy branches, as they grow in the wet zone of our country. Thus, there is no need for roots to grow around the trunk of these trees.

So, this could very well be the Chinese type of bo tree. However, details were hard to come by as very few Chinese speak English. You could ask your science teachers, for more information.

Elmo Leonard.

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Playhouses in China

In China, where this picture was taken, parents are allowed to have only one child, girl or boy. So, Chinese parents love their only child very much. They do everything they can to make their child happy.

They also take their child to playhouses, like this one in Beijing, which is the biggest city in that country.

The playhouses here are very much larger than those found in Sri Lanka. There are more games and fun for children.

This playhouse is part of a four-storeyed shop, called Silk City, where clothes made in China are sold.

And, if you want to know, parents in China can have only one child, because China is the country with the biggest population in the world (1.3 billion people). Much of the country is hilly and some parts get little rain. So food crops cannot be grown in those parts. Therefore, the population has to be controlled to ensure that there are enough resources for every person.

Elmo Leonard

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Clara Maass sacrificed her life

The name of Clara Maass stands out as more than a model nurse who sacrificed her life in determining a killer-mosquito, which brought death to a large number of people prior to 1900. The American stamp which honoured her with her portrait (shown here) certifies the fact, as is given on the stamp itself, that "she gave her life" in the course of duty, for the cause of humanity.

Clara Maass was the eldest of nine children, and was born in East Orange, New Jersey, U.S.A. in 1876. She became a nurse at the age of 17 and graduated two years later. After a number of years as a nurse, Maass volunteered for service overseas. She joined the nursing service in Cuba, where the ravages of yellow fever were causing much concern to the military authorities.

Maass took part in experiments which were to determine whether the stogomyia mosquito was the carrier of this dreadful disease. She herself was bitten once and recovered. When she was bitten for the second time, she contracted a serious fever which brought death to her, 10 days later. Her sacrifice proved the mosquito to be the killer and led to the virtual extinction of the disease.

The Clara Maass Memorial Hospital was named in her honour.

The U.S. Postal Service came out with this stamp to mark her birth centenary on August 18, 1976, almost 30 years ago.

Francis P. Gunasekera.