Oxford eagle. (Oxford, Lafayette Co., Miss.) 1876-current, 1894-11-15
HOW NATURE MAKES FOOD.
Chemists After the Secret and Think They
VIII Master 81.


VIII Master It.
While invention has produced many
substances which in part replace wood
and other organic materials. the fact
remains that man IS to-day almost as
dependent for his comfort and very life
ou the vegetable world a. were his
ancestors in more primitive times The
anatomists have had long disputes as To
mans place in the scale Of food CON
sumption. whether he j. properly
omnivorous or not. Whether carniv-
oruuS or vegetarian. his food
derives it, ultimate origin in the
wonderful chemical decomposition
and syntheses effected by the vege-
table kingdom The highest triumphs
~ synthetic chemistry have not vet
succeeded in producing his food from
the chemical elements. The produe-
tion Of self-supporting aquaria, con
siSting Of tanks of water in which
plant life and fish life are - exactly
balanced that there i miniature self
supporting world within the four
glass plates. has been favorite scien-
tific amusement with many. ON our
globe we see a similar thing in the re-
lations of the animal and vegetable
kingdoms Unfortunately. man i not
content with discriminating wild ami
mails; he i not satisfied with utilizing
for himself all vegetable nature: but
he exterminates most recklessly the
forests whose leaves are taking care OF
his own vitiated respiratory products
The earth contains plant and animal
life. each one taking care Of the prod
ucts of the life of the other kind. The
animal expires carbon dioxide gas. the
product of the combination of oxygen
Of the air with the carbon of the body.
In a plantie>s globe this gas would
constantly increase in the atmosphere.
IN the eventual deterioration 81 the
AIR; but the plant life dispoSes Of this
product. separates the carbon from the
oxygen. and. still more wonderful. eli
fleets one Of the most difficult Of syn
theses. and unites the carbon with
hydrogen producing vegetable sub
stance If different kinds. The puriti-
cation Of the air by plants. owing u
the enormous volume Of the. atmos-
phere and its relatively slow coutami-
nation. l. Of secondary Importance -
the production of plant substance.
On the products Of vegetation
man depends for nearly everything.
for food raiment aud heat Not c,'n.
tent with reckless deforsstatiou. he
draws upon the accumulated stores -
the preceding geological era> and in
burning eoSl. probably petroleum ami
natural gas. i drawing upon the re-
mains ~ vegetation Of the carhouifer-
ous and other a-sS-
Plants by their vital power effect tive
specially difficult chemical actions
the decomposition ~ carbon dioxiie
gas. and then combine the separated
carbon with hydrogen Absolutely ne
practical way Of doing these things ha-
been yet found By man Il j. only
by a laboratory experiment that either
Of these two reactions i carried nut.
Ii may - said that every steam engine
depends for its fuel on dee0mpossd
carbon dioxide gas and every ps.-
trOleum lamp represents the utili-
zation Of the decomposition and
subsequent syntheSiS which we
have spoken Of In th.. matter u fo.psI
man = still more dependent IN the
vegetable world. Very few artifeialIv-
I produced food products have ever been
made. and these few NAV have their
origin trac.d to some vegetable prod
uct- The glucose factories uSe 4 prof.
net Of vegetation a. the base of their
operation Until we sueeeed in bring
ing chemistry to a point Of perfection
hardly dreamed - by the most vision
ary. man viii continue - depend upon
the sOil for his very life. He may
selfishly feel that all this Is OF interest
only for subsequent generations. but
1 10 every enlightened mind the reckless
waste Of vegetable re>azrces- among
which may 81 included eoal, petroleum
and natural gas Is highly repug.saut--
I Scientific American