PART ONE 



THE IMPORTANCE OF PLANTS 



In a world preoccupied with thoughts of the destructive 

 power of the atom and hydrogen bombs, with the equally 

 deadly population explosion, with the rise and fall of govern- 

 ments, and with monetary crises, it seems almost trivial, at 

 first glance, to talk about the importance of plants. However, 

 it is not really an inappropriate topic if one recalls that before 

 he goes to work at Los Alamos, the physicist eats his break- 

 fast, possibly packs his lunch, and is glad to return home to 

 dinner. These three meals, repeated day in and day out, are 

 composed of plant products or of animal proteins made from 

 grass leaves. 



Then too, our physicist friend arrays himself in the morn- 

 ing with cotton clothes made from the plant genus Gos- 

 sypium or in wool made from grass-eating sheep. Some of the 

 newer fibers are made from cellulose, the principal ingredient 

 of plant cell walls. One cannot overlook the additional fact 

 that wood from trees is one of the primary building materials 

 of the world. Many other plant products have never been suc- 

 cessfully synthesized. 



It is not generally realized that food plays a part in world 

 politics and the balance for power. If the communist coun- 

 tries were as well-fed and prosperous as we are, they might 

 well become more aggressive than they are and create a great 

 deal more world tension. Food, often overlooked in our think- 

 ing, is still man's basic need. 



1 



