196 



THE GENESEE FARMER. 



Aug. 



UontljB' Department. 



DEATH OF THE PRESIDENT. 



" I may have erred— but I have endeavored to do my duty.' 



It is not our duty to talk of politics or presidents. 

 We have our sphere — to enlighten the minds of the 

 agriculturists of the country — to teach them their 

 high destiny — to teach them to love their profession 

 as one of honor, a profession in which may be em- 

 ployed all the intellect, all the knowledge, that God 

 has given or man acquired, — to teach this particu- 

 larly to the young, too many of whom have been 

 inclined to look with contempt upon what they call 

 the "plodding" life of a farmer, and to rush into our 

 cities, there to meet with difficulties they had not 

 dreamed of, and temptations they are unprepared to 

 meet. We endeavor to enforce the idea that it is 

 fully as honorable — as intellectual — to cultivate the 

 soil, and cause it to bring forth abundantly, as to 

 measure calico, sell molasses, peddle pills and calo- 

 mel, or superintend the quarrels and law suits of 

 others. This we believe to be our duty. 



But, the death of President Tatlor, which has 

 cast a gloom over our country, and caused even those 

 unused to serious thought to think solemnly for once, 

 furnishes a not unfitting occasion to say a word to 

 the youth, on the proper aim of man. It is contained 

 in the last words of our lamented President, at the 

 head of this article — "I have endeavored to do my 

 duty." It is not a lofty position, the posession of 

 great power, the applaudits of millions, or the flattery 

 of friends, that makes man great ; but the honest 

 performance of duty, in the sphere in which he 

 moves, no matter how elevated or how humble that 

 sphere. This it may be difficult for us now fully to 

 realize ; but when we stand, as did President Tay- 

 lor when he uttered these words, upon the edge of 

 an opening grave — the last spark of life almost ex- 

 tinguished^the last struggle almost over — we shall 

 see the world, its duties, and objects, in a proper 

 light — in a light reflected from the invisible world. 

 If at that trying moment we derive consolation from 

 a review of our past lives, it will not be from wealth 

 or honors — not from great battles fought or glorious 

 victories won, — but from the fact thai we have faith- 

 fully and untiringly endeavored to do our duty. 



THE ANALOGY BETWEEN ANIMAi AND VEGE- 

 TABLE LIFE.-Nc. 2 



Carbonic acid, ammonia^ and water, yield the ele- 

 ments from which are formed all the organic parts 

 in the structure both of animals and plants. Certain 

 inorganic, or mineral substances, are also required 

 in both cases ; as lime, to give solidity to the bones 

 of an ox ; and silica, or flint, to the stem of wheat. 

 The process of digestion in an animal is analogous 

 to that of appropriation and nourishment in a plant. 

 To draw the comparison still closer and fix it in the 

 mind, let us glance briefly at the organic substances 

 found in vegetables, as albumen, gum, sugar, gluten, 

 woody fibre, fixed and volatile oils, Sic, and their cor- 

 responding substances in the animal economy : 



1st. Albumen, which exists in nearly a pure form 

 in the white of an egg, is found also in the almond 

 and in the kernel of nuts. The juice of a West India 

 plant (Hibiscus esculentis) contains liquid albumen in 

 such quantities, that it is used as a substitute for the 



white of eggs in clarifying the juice of the sugar- 

 cane. This substance is common in both animal 

 and vegetable kingdoms, and may easily be distin- 

 guished by its property of coagulating, or becoming 

 hard and permanently solid, by the action of moder- 

 ate heat or of acids. It forms a constituent of the 

 serum of blood, of several of the animal secretions, 

 and, in a soli.d form, of some of the organized struc- 

 ture of the body. Its composition, from whatever 

 source it is obtained, is carbon 62, hydrogen 7, oxy- 

 gen 23, and nitrogen 15 parts, in every 100. 



2d. Vegetable gum is analogous to animal mucus. 

 Gum is the substance which exudes from certain 

 trees. It a])pears in the form of a thick fluid, but 

 soon hardens in the air, when it becomes nearly white 

 and somewhat brittle. Its characteristic properties 

 are, easy solubility in water and insolubility in alco- 

 hol. Its composition is, carbon 43, oxygen 51, hy- 

 drogen 6, in 100 parts ; and all varieties are nutri- 

 tious as food. Mucus, or the animal counterpart of 

 gum, is a secretion found on the surface of the lining 

 membrane of the intestines, and possesses the same 

 characteristics and nearly the same composition. It 

 may be obtained by evaporating the saliva to dryness, 

 and is then similar to gum-arabic in appearance, but 

 rather more opaque. The fluid found in the shell of 

 an oyster, when evaporated, produces this substance. 



3d. Sugar is essentially the same, whether derived 

 from the maple tree, the cane, the beet, or the milk 

 of animals. In- the last named substance it consti- 

 tutes about one-third of the whole solid matter. lis 

 composition is nearly identical with that of gum. 



4th. Let us compare vegetable gluten with animal 

 gelatin. Gluten is one of the most nutritious of 

 vegetable substances ; and wheat owes its superiority 

 to all other grains, in a great degree, to its contain- 

 ing this substance in larger proportion. It has a 

 gray color, is elastic, ductile, and tenacious ; soon 

 decomposing when kept in contact with air, and 

 emitting an oftensive odor, similar to that of putrid 

 animal matter. It is readily obtained from wheat or 

 flour, through the agency of cold water and pressing 

 out the starch. Gelatin is an animal substance near- 

 ly identical with gluten, which enters largely into the 

 composition of bones, horns, hoofs, Sic. Isinglass 

 and glue are forms of gelatin ; and when the lime is 

 dissolved out of bones by means of sulphuric acid, 

 this substance remains in nearly a pure state. 



5th. Woody fibre is the substance remaining after 

 a plant has been eshausted of all its soluble materials, 

 by repeated boilings in water and alcohol. It resem- 

 bles the animal substance called fibrin, which is the 

 principal constituent of the muscular, red, or fleshy 

 part of animals, and of blood. Fibrin is white and 

 inodorus ; and when dry, is hard, brittle, and slightly 

 transparent. It may be procured by digesting small 

 pieces of lean meat in repeated portions of water. 



6th. The. fired oils, whether of animal or vegetable 

 origin, have essentially the same composition. 



The above are a few of the many organic substan- 

 ces, having a striking similarity in composition and 

 properties, which are found in both the animal and 

 vegetable kingdoms. The analogy might be carried 

 to any extent, were it necessary to establish the iden- 

 tity of matter, the elements of which are chiefly fur- 

 nished by air and water, and are so arranged, or 

 organized, as to form in the one case the root, sap 

 vessels, bark, and leaves, of a tree ; and in another 

 the bones, blood vessels, skin, lungs, and muscles, of 

 a man. F. 



