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scopic life, developed by the researches of Ehrenberg, — in 

 the deep seas, in the earth itself, and in the atmosphere — 

 covering and coloring even the Polar snows, and existing 

 in the refined tissues and fluids of living creatures, the 

 mind becomes bewildered at the infinity it encounters upon 

 either hand, and is profoundly impressed witli this won- 

 derful and universal presence of vitality. 



Omitting the great mass of evidence as to the way in 

 which the elements of water and air are used in the devleop- 

 ment of both vegetable and animal organisms, the mere 

 statement of their constituent elements will be suflicient. 



Witli scarcely an exception, vegetable bodies consist en- 

 tire! v of carbon and water, or of the elements of water 

 united with carbon in various proportions. AV^oody fibre 

 or lignin is nearly identical in all trees and in the fibres of 

 linen and cotton. It forms the trunks and branches of trees, 

 and all the fibrous or woody parts of vegetable bodies — 

 making up a large proportion of the bulk of vegetable mat- 

 ter, it consists of 50 parts of water and 50 of carbon. 



The other principal compounds that are developed in 

 the process of vegetable growth, are cellular fibre, gum, 

 starch, cane and grape sugar, these, with the exception ot 

 the latter and lignin, consist of the same elements in exactly 

 the same lyopoiilon ! 



Some of the principal vegetable acids and compound are 

 tljus represented by chemical symbols: 



Water H' O 



Carbonic acid O'C 



Alcohol H« O^C* 



Ether H^ O C* 



Acetic acid H' O^ C* 



Tartaric acid H" 0^° C* 



Sugar H"0" C" 



Starch H^» O^" C^' 



Oxalic acid 0^ C'^. 



Circle of sciences, 408 

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