9] VITAL IMPORTANCE TO MANKIND 259 



its allies, Tamarind, and many more. Jams and other preserves 

 are chiefly made from fruits and sugar, often with the addition of 

 some flavouring, preservative, and or stiffening principle. 



The above outline, which serves to indicate the range and variety 

 as well as importance of plant foods for Man, is exclusive of beverages 

 and such adjuncts as spices and other flavourings, which will be 

 dealt with in the next section. The dependence, on green plants, 

 of practicallv all other forms of life either directly or indirectly for 

 food, goes of course for the animals which are used extensively by 

 ]\Ian for his own sustenance, and so we should here recall this 

 further dependence of Man on the natural vegetation or cropping- 

 possibilities of each region. IMany of the above-mentioned cereal 

 Grasses, food Legumes, and ' vegetables ' such as Kales and Turnips 

 are grown partly for domestic animal fodder, as are, in addition, 

 numerous Grasses such as Timothy, Sudan-grass, Johnson-grass, 

 Orchard-grass, Redtop, Bluegrass, etc. Furthermore there is an 

 important class of non-grassy forage crops which, like some of the 

 above-mentioned cereal and other plants when green, are often used 

 for silage. These include Mangel-wurzels and such leguminous 

 plants as Alfalfa, various Clovers and Vetches, Kudzu, and 

 Lespedezas, in addition to Peanut, Soybean, Cowpea, and others 

 among those already mentioned in different connections. These 

 and other Legumes, together with various Grasses, largely make up 

 hay. From the utilitarian point of view, forage plants may be 

 looked upon as a means of turning plant carbohydrate and protein 

 into meat and dairy products. 



A number of usually minor foods are afforded by the lower plants. 

 Thus the use of Mushrooms, Truffles, Morels and other Fungi is 

 ancient and familiar. Mushrooms in particular being widely cultivated. 

 Food Yeast is another important fungal product. Although the use 

 of Lichens for human food has largely died out except in times of 

 severe shortage in northern regions, they are still important in the 

 feeding of the Reindeer on which whole cultures of boreal peoples 

 are largely centred. IVIore widely used for human food nowadays 

 are marine Algae, which in the Orient and some Pacific Islands 

 constitute a major article of diet, many being cultivated, especially 

 in Japan. In Europe and North America the only Algae that are 

 at all extensively used in food are Carrageen or Irish-moss, Dulse, 

 Murlins, those that give agar and some other products, and various 

 Lavers. But extensive research is in progress on the possibility of 

 using cultures of freshwater Algae, such as Chlorella, for food. 



