PLANTS AND OURSELVES 3 



coal, was formed chiefly from the dead bodies of plants which 

 were buried deep under the earth thousands of years ago. 

 Lubricating oils are also derived from petroleum, while some 

 oils, like cottonseed and linseed and castor oil, are derived 

 from plants directly. 



Wood is principally used in the building of houses and 

 furniture, but there are other important uses of it. Think, 

 for example, of the great quantities needed for telegraph 

 and telephone poles, for railroad ties, and for fence posts. 



Sometimes medicine is needed, and this need also is 

 principally supplied by plants. Most of the drugs of which 

 medicines are made are derived from plants. Rubber and 

 gutta-percha, paper and perfumes, and many other much 

 used substances are also derived from plants. 



Each day you discover things which are new to you ; 

 things which make life seem to you more interesting and 

 important. Just now you are to discover that knowledge 

 of plant life will make your own life more interesting and 

 more important. You are anxious to find out what you 

 must know and what you must do in order to make your 

 own life a success. The more you understand about life 

 in general, the more likely you are to judge wisely for your 

 own life in particular. To understand plant life and its 

 relationships to human life will help you to understand 

 your own life and its relations to the great world of which 

 it is a part. You will learn that plants, besides furnishing 

 food which makes life possible, may also furnish thoughts 

 and feelings which make life pleasant ; besides furnishing 

 what is necessary to the development of our bodies, they 

 may also furnish something needed for the development 

 of our minds. 



