THE ECONOMIC BIOLOGY OF PLANTS 463 



made by distilling any kind of wood in large closed vessels. It 

 is an important industry in many wooded regions. 



COLLATERAL READING 



Elementary Studies in Botany, Coulter, pp. 342-418; Botany for Schools, 

 Atkinson, pp. 392-420; The World's Commercial Products, Freeman and 

 Chandler, entire; Plants and their Uses, Sargent, entire; Elementary 

 Biology, Peabody and Hunt, pp. 126-153; Domesticated Plants and Ani- 

 mals, Davenport, entire. 



SUMMARY 



Economic biology, the relation of living things to man, whether for good 

 or harm. 



General uses of plants. 



1. Supply oxygen, remove CO2. 7. Paper materials. 



2. Regulate drainage. 8. Timber, cork, rubber. 



3. Return nitrogen to soil. 9. Tanning materials. 



4. Foods for men and animals. 10. Fabric fibers. 



5. Fuel. 11. Dyestuffs. 



6. Drugs, medicines, alcohol. 12. Distillation products. 



Harmful plant forms. 



1. Some bacteria (disease). 



2. Some fungi (destroy crops, timber, etc.). 



3. Poisonous plants. 



4. Weeds. 



Plant uses in detail. 



1. Oxygen supply (Chap. 13), photosynthesis. 



2. Nitrogen fixation (Chap. 17), soil bacteria, decay. 



3. Drainage control (Chap. 50), forests as reservoirs. 



4. Food materials. 



Seed products. 



Plant Location Uses 



1. Cereals. 



Wheat U. S., Russia Bread, macaroni, etc. 



Principal food of white races. 



Rice China, India Feeds half the world. 



Corn North America Food, fodder, starch, oil, alcohol. 



Oats North Europe Food, fodder. 



Barley Central Europe Fodder, beer, food. 



Rye Europe Dark bread, whiskev. 



