Author: L. D. Chapin

Publisher: Forgotten Books

Published: 2015-06-26

Total Pages: 441

ISBN-13: 9781330204009

Excerpt from The Vegetable Kingdom: Or, Hand-Book of Plants and Fruits Nothing contributes more to the pleasures and necessities of man than the productions of the vegetable kingdom. Every constituent of the bodies of man and animals is derived from them, not a single element being generated by the vital principle. We must see, consequently, that they constitute the fountain of animal life from which are derived, not only the vital energies that animate the world of organic beings, but all the comforts and luxuries of our race, both in a civilized and barbarous state. Whether we regard them, therefore, as essential to the life and growth of animals which furnish us with food, or partake of them as they are presented us immediately from the bountiful hand of nature, they are alike important to mankind. Nor do they, as articles of food, contribute more to the gratification of the animal taste than they do, as beautifully organized beings, to the mental taste and the rational indulgence of the noblest faculties of mind. Again, it is not only in the life, the health and the growth of the animal body that we perceive the importance of vegetable productions, but likewise in the unlimited materials they alone afford us for protecting and preserving it from injury and death; and that, too, in a manner alike necessary for comfort and for the gratification of the caprice and the most diversified tastes of society. Under any circumstances, therefore, in which the life, the interests and pleasures of man are concerned, they constitute the most important subject which can engage our attention. But it is deserving of remark that the majority of people, perhaps, and even those of the most cultivated society, are singularly ignorant of the character and nutritive properties of the most distinguished products of vegetable nature; except so far, perhaps, as they confer a momentary sensation, of animal taste, felt equally by all the lower orders of animals which are necessarily unconscious of their origin, nature and tendency. It is but reasonable to assert, however, that it is the interest as well as the pleasure of every intelligent mind, above that of the mere vegetative animal, to inquire into the causes, effects and qualities of productions thus essential to life and the enjoyment of the physical and social condition of man. About the Publisher Forgotten Books publishes hundreds of thousands of rare and classic books. Find more at www.forgottenbooks.com This book is a reproduction of an important historical work. Forgotten Books uses state-of-the-art technology to digitally reconstruct the work, preserving the original format whilst repairing imperfections present in the aged copy. In rare cases, an imperfection in the original, such as a blemish or missing page, may be replicated in our edition. We do, however, repair the vast majority of imperfections successfully; any imperfections that remain are intentionally left to preserve the state of such historical works.