78 



Science of Plant Life 



Bruce Fink 

 Fig. 48. A sugar-cane field in Porto Rico. The excess food is accumulated in 

 the stems in the form of sugar. 



and peanut, there are large quantities of both protein and oil. 

 In the seeds of the coconut, flax, and cotton there is a large 

 proportion of oil. 



Food-accumulating plants and agriculture. Throughout 

 the long history of agriculture the principal purposes of 

 agriculturists have been : (i) the discovery of plants that 

 accumulate large amounts of food ; (2) the improvement 

 of these plants by selection of seed from the most productive 

 or otherwise most desirable individuals ; (3) improvement of 

 the methods of cultivation to provide conditions of growth 

 that will cause the largest possible amounts of foods to be 

 accumulated in the plants. Sweet corn was developed through 

 the selection of seeds with a view to securing plants having a 



