220 [Assembly 



Vegetables as well as animals are provided by the Creator 

 with an apparatus for breathing the air that is essential equally 

 to the lives of each; they each secrete different matters, and 

 require several kinds of food; together with a number of tem- 

 peratures to enable them to grow and flourish. Animal and 

 vegetable, have approached so near to each other as to have 

 rendered it next to impossible to discern to which of the two 

 kingdoms they really belonged. They both consist of the same 

 elements as before named, hjdrogen, carbon, oxygen and nitro- 

 gen ; and how they compose their principles of life out of these 

 few elements Is perfectly incomprehensible to me; as much so as 

 the phenomena by which they propogate their species. The 

 vegetable kingdom may truly be called the source from which 

 spi ings the prosperity or misery of man. The instant man ceases 

 to bestow his labor upon the earth, it becomes barren, and all 

 tne greatness of its inhabitants vanishes with agriculture. When 

 the people who formerly Inhabited Asia, India, Egypt and the 

 rich country bordering on Mount Atlas, were an agricultural 

 people, they possessed magnificent harvests, innumerable flocks, 

 splendid forests and rich fields. By the ambition of prin- 

 ces, war instead of agriculture became the order of the age, 

 consequently these once powerful nations, became degraded and 

 the traveler now finds sterile fields, sparse harvests, and a star- 

 ving populace. Thus the moment the rage of conquest supplants 

 the labor of the agriculturist, whole countries are almost depopu- 

 lated, barbarism returns, cities are overturned, and the natural 

 riches of the earth vanish. By the skill of the gardener and 

 agriculturist, we now enjoy as food, a great number of plants 

 under the folhnving numerous heads, to wit: edible marine 

 pl.iuts; edilile fungi; leguminous vegetables; esculent roots; 

 spinaceous plants; the cabbage tribe; alliaceous plants; aspara- 

 genous phniis ; acetaceous plants ; pot-herbs ; sweet-herbs; plants 

 used for Imts ; [slants used for pickles ; under these general heads 

 a vast (riltc of useful vegetables might be named if necessary. 



The most dci glitful of all food provided by the Ruler of the 

 universe, is still lo be named, and that is fruit; the hardy varie- 

 ties of whi<-i'.ai(t loriunately within the reach o' all. We are 

 indebkc! ' lla- lii.cians and Romans and other enlightened 



