Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1931-06-14
Diatom's Place in Scheme of Things
BY FREDERIC J. HASKTN.

The giant dia;on is the size of the
head Of pin. lesser members Of the
species range down to dimensions so
small that the human brain cannot
conceive them, f1r they must be many
times magnifieds 20 become visible to
the naked eye sst all. Yet these tiny
particles, or rather their skeletons, have
scores of practical uses and their use
fulness constantly Is increasing.
The diatom ii an unobtrusive but
definitely living plant. Occasionally an
especially observhnt person. II on the
alert, may discover one Of the giants,
for while q growth the size Of the head
Of q pin would NIT be readily discernible
on the crest OF "a breaking wave, the
hunter might flfsd one in a still glass
Of water. That would be his best
chance for detection and capture.
For the diatotl lives and thrives in
all kinds of water. 1t Is not snob-
bish or fastidiGus plant, but seems
equally at home .in salt water or fresh,
mountain torrenS, in ice water or hot
water water. in drinking water carafe or
The habits 81 the easily pleased
diatomS are various. Some move about
freely in the water where they find
themselves, on their own and seemingly
content. Others, either from q feeling
Of inferiority or desire for company, at
tach themselves to other objects
plants, fish, shells, dotsam and jetsam.
All follow the same diet, which is
strictly prohibition. They live on water.
With skill In abstracttng living un-
shared by so many Of the human I'M
employed, the diatom dimes satisfactorily
on mineral salts held in solution by
water. A thin diet, but one on which
the little plants seem to thrive.
Their employment seems to consist of
about the same purpose as that of hui
man beings-that is, to accumulate an
estate. However, the diatcn's estate Is
its skeleton. II the lusty, living giant
diatom Is no larger than the head of a
pin, one can make vague guess at
the size Of It's skeleton. The skeletons
OF the smaller ones do not amount to
much.
Silica is the raw material out of
which the diatom builds its skeleton.
It does not take long and the life span
Of the individual is brief, but it sufices
same way that the oyster creates its
shell out Of lime or the coral its brittle
fortress.
The legacy Of each diatom is so small
that the lives of $4,000, 900 go to make
up enough skeletons to I'LL the space
OF single cubic inch.
Multitudinous Varieties.
How intricate and immense the uni
verse Is may be judged from the fact
that when $4,000 600 diatoms have con-
tributed their skeletons to I'LL a cubic
inch's space, some millions of years then
rrust pass to mature the mass into
diatomite, q substance to which this
discussion of the life story Of the diatom
Is an introduction.
It would serve no immediate purpose
save as gesture to very remote an
cestry. to thank the present generation
Of diatoms for their devotion and ac-
complishmentS in producing skeletons
In the first place, a great many indi-
vidual gestures would be required, for,
to be thorough, Acknowledgements would
have to be made to more than 10000
varieties. More cons than can be found
IN q whole book Of crossword puzzles
must elapse before the life-and-death
work Of the diatom is ripe for use By
mankind
Diatonite employed in modern com.