The Kenosha telegraph. [volume] (Kenosha, Wis.) 1860-1888, 1877-03-01
THE ORGANIC ELEMENTS OF
PLANTS.

| busy work of the farm and the garden,
| the simple and fundamental truths of
plant growth. In former letter, hav-
ing noted what were the primary ele-
ments of plants, we now come to speak
of the two grand divisions,
THE ORGANIC ELEMENTS
of plants and from whence they are OBJ
tanned. 1t will be remembered that
the organic elements consist of one SOL
id substance, carbon, and of three gas
es, viz, oxygen, hydrogen and nitro
gen-and these elements are all OBJ
tanned chiefly or wholly from the at
mosphere. Atmospheric air is COM
posed of oxygen and nitrogen, in the
proportion OF one part Of oxygen to
four parts of nitrogen.
Oxygen is the active agent in the
combustion and decomposition of all
organized bodies that have possessed
animal or vegetable life. The use of
the nitrogen is to dilute the oxygen in
the air and render it suitable for the
purposes Of life.
Besides these elements of oxygen and
nitrogen, there are certain impurities
held in the atmosphere which are of
great use in promoting vegetable
growth. The carbonic acid of the at
mosphere, which is ''the only source of
the carbon of plants is "of more i'm
lportance to vegetation than any other
single sort of food" It is found in
]combination with many substances and
as gas is not perceptible to our sens
es. 1t constitutes about one-two thou
sand five hundredth part of the at
mosphere. This gas is contained in all
water not recently boiled. Its combi-
nation with lime makes limestone or
marble.
1t enters the plants through the
roots, in the water that goes to form
the sap, and also is absorbed by the
leaves from the air. The leaves of
plants perform some very important
offices in plant life, viz, They absorb
carbonic acid from the atmosphere. 1t
aids in the chemical preparation of the
sap and also in the evaporation of wa
/ ter.
|
able number Of mouths for the perfor-
nance of these duties-no less than
| 10000 openings or mouths have been
counted, with the aid of microscope
within square inch of surface. These
absorbing pores are ON the under side
of the leaf
The carbonic acid of the air is the
union Of carbon and oxygen. Under
the influence of the sunlight the
decomposition of carbonic acid takes
place, the plant retaining the carbon,
and sending the oxygen back into the
| air, to unite again with carbon, for the
further use Of plant life and the half of
all the vegetable matter in the world is
obtained from this source.
| The proportion of carbonic acid in
| the air is, as we have seen, small
only one-two thousand five hundredth
part-and yet it is quite sufficient for
all practical purposes; and while it is
being constantly consumed by the
growing plants, it is constantly being
given back to the air in burning bodies,
and wherever there is decay, for decay
| is only a slow burning. Also in
respiration, or the breathing of animals,
| there is the union of the carbon Of the
blood, with the oxygen of the air, so
that every breath thrown out contains
acids, which is the health and life of
the vegetable world. Every cottage
fire, every furnace in the land, all COM
bustion, decay and consumption by an
imals is throwing off the life-giving ell
ement, which makes the earth beauti-
full and productive and habitable.
every living animal, even to the
smallest insect, by respiration, spends
it's life in the production, of this materi-
al necessary to the growth of plants,
and at death gives up it's body in part
of such formation by decay" Thus
there is continual routine or round
from ''the carbon of plants to air,
and from air back to plants" from life
to death and from death to life.
"The great coal beds Of the world are
mines of carbon" taken from the air
by plants, and stored for the use Of
present and future generations, and
each ton burned, is changed into car
bonic gas, and adds to the ability of our
atmosphere to support an increased |
amount of vegetation.
Thus we see that carbon has a never
ending round of duty to perform, and
is never permanent in any of it's forms.
Oxygen is it's helper and carrier which
enables it to change its conditions, and
so to fit all the circumstances Of it's be-
ing. Charcoal is nearly pure carbon:
burn it. sit unites with the oxygen of
the air, and becomes carbonic acid, and
floats away into the atmosphere. The
wind carries it through a forest, and
the leaves of the trees with their mill
ions of mouths drink it in." By the
assistance of light it is decomposed, the
oxygen is sent off to make carbonic ac- !,
id, and the carbon is retained to form a J
part of the tree" and there it remains
ill that wood decays, when it again
ningles with the atmosphere, ready for '
my plant service in this eternal round 9
IF duty,