92 SCIENTIFIC ILLUSTRATIONS [Div 



she remains in health, and which is as well known to those who 

 are in the habit of taking her produce as the handwriting of 

 their nearest acquaintance." DX. : VA. 



Diversity of Form but Unity of Benefit. 



Diversity of climate circumscribes within limits more or less 

 narrow many of the most useful of our food-producing plants ; 

 but this unavoidable evil has sometimes been lessened or 

 obviated in a way which affords another instance of the kind 

 forethought of our Father. One of the most valuable elements 

 of vegetable diet is sugar, and nature has taken care that many 

 articles in common use shall contain a fair proportion of it. At 

 the same time there are certain plants in which it exists so 

 abundantly that we are accustomed to resort to them for our 

 large supplies. Of these the chief is the well-known " cane." 

 But the sugar-cane flourishes only in the tropics and adjacent 

 regions ; and therefore all sugar from this source, consumed in 

 extra-tropical countries, must be brought to them by commerce. 

 Many a wide district, however, lying far in the interio'r of 

 continents, is unfavourably situated for thus receiving its 

 supplies ; and it might either have been deprived of this nutri- 

 ment altogether, or at least have been inadequately provided 

 with it, had not Providence, with kind intent, created other 

 sugar-producing plants constitutionally suited to different 

 climates, for the purpose of distributing the gift more generally 

 over the world. Thus we find that from the tropical " cane " 

 region to the Mediterranean, the supply of sugar is maintained 

 by several plants, among which may be mentioned the date- 

 palm and the fig. Beyond this, in climates corresponding to 

 Southern Europe, there are the sorghum and maize, from which 

 much sugar is now manufactured in France and America. 

 Farther to the north, the beet-root in the field and the maple 

 in the forest extend the series of sugar-producing plants almost 

 to the verge of the Arctic circle. Farinaceous food is tropically 

 represented by the rice-plant in great abundance. Proceeding 

 northwards, rice is associated with the maize or Indian com ; 

 that is succeeded by wheat ; and, lastly, we have oats and 

 barley flourishing almost up to the North Cape. The same 



