﻿274 
  G. 
  L. 
  Goodale 
  — 
  Possibilities 
  of 
  Economic 
  Botany. 
  

  

  aggregate 
  perhaps 
  one-tenth, 
  so 
  that 
  we 
  are 
  within 
  very 
  safe 
  

   limits 
  in 
  taking 
  the 
  number 
  of 
  existing 
  species 
  to 
  be 
  somewhat 
  

   above 
  one 
  hundred 
  and 
  ten 
  thousand. 
  1 
  

  

  JNow 
  if 
  we 
  should 
  make 
  a 
  comprehensive 
  list 
  of 
  all 
  the 
  

   flowering 
  plants 
  which 
  are 
  cultivated 
  on 
  what 
  we 
  may 
  call 
  a 
  

   fairly 
  large 
  scale 
  at 
  the 
  present 
  day, 
  placing 
  therein 
  all 
  food 
  2 
  

   and 
  forage 
  plants, 
  all 
  those 
  which 
  are 
  grown 
  for 
  timber 
  and 
  

   cabinet 
  woods, 
  for 
  fibres 
  and 
  cordage, 
  for 
  tanning 
  materials, 
  

   dyes, 
  resins, 
  rubber, 
  gums, 
  oils, 
  perfumes 
  and 
  medicines, 
  we 
  

   could 
  bring 
  together 
  barely 
  three 
  hundred 
  species. 
  If 
  we 
  

   should 
  add 
  to 
  this 
  short 
  catalogue 
  all 
  the 
  species, 
  which 
  with- 
  

   out 
  cultivation, 
  can 
  be 
  used 
  by 
  man, 
  we 
  should 
  find 
  it 
  consid- 
  

   erably 
  lengthened. 
  A 
  great 
  many 
  products 
  of 
  the 
  classes 
  just 
  

   referred 
  to 
  are 
  derived 
  in 
  commerce 
  from 
  wild 
  plants, 
  but 
  

   exactly 
  how 
  much 
  their 
  addition 
  would 
  extend 
  the 
  list, 
  it 
  is 
  

   impossible 
  in 
  the 
  present 
  state 
  of 
  knowledge 
  to 
  determine. 
  

   Every 
  enumeration 
  of 
  this 
  character 
  is 
  likely 
  to 
  contain 
  errors 
  

   from 
  two 
  sources 
  : 
  first, 
  it 
  would 
  be 
  sure 
  to 
  contain 
  some 
  

   species 
  which 
  have 
  outlived 
  their 
  real 
  usefulness, 
  and, 
  secondly, 
  

   owing 
  to 
  the 
  chaotic 
  condition 
  of 
  the 
  literature 
  of 
  the 
  subject, 
  

   omissions 
  would 
  occur. 
  

  

  But 
  after 
  all 
  proper 
  exclusions 
  and 
  additions 
  have 
  been 
  

   made, 
  the 
  total 
  number 
  of 
  species 
  of 
  flowering 
  plants 
  utilized 
  

   to 
  any 
  considerable 
  extent 
  by 
  man 
  in 
  his 
  civilized 
  state 
  does 
  

   not 
  exceed, 
  in 
  fact 
  it 
  does 
  not 
  quite 
  reach, 
  one 
  per 
  cent. 
  

  

  The 
  disproportion 
  between 
  the 
  plants 
  which 
  are 
  known 
  and 
  

   those 
  which 
  are 
  used 
  becomes 
  much 
  greater 
  when 
  we 
  take 
  

   into 
  account 
  the 
  species 
  of 
  flowerless 
  plants 
  also. 
  Of 
  the 
  five 
  

   hundred 
  ferns 
  and 
  their 
  allies 
  we 
  employ 
  for 
  other 
  than 
  

   decorative 
  purposes 
  only 
  five 
  ; 
  the 
  mosses 
  and 
  liverworts, 
  

   roughly 
  estimated 
  at 
  five 
  hundred 
  species, 
  have 
  only 
  four 
  

   which 
  are 
  directly 
  used 
  by 
  man. 
  There 
  are 
  comparatively 
  few 
  

   Algae, 
  Fungi, 
  or 
  Lichens 
  which 
  have 
  extended 
  use. 
  

  

  therefore, 
  when 
  we 
  take 
  the 
  flowering 
  and 
  flowerless 
  to- 
  

   gether, 
  the 
  percentage 
  of 
  utilized 
  plants 
  falls 
  far 
  below 
  the 
  

   estimate 
  made 
  for 
  the 
  flowering 
  alone. 
  

  

  Such 
  a 
  ratio 
  between 
  the 
  number 
  of 
  species 
  known 
  and 
  the 
  

   number 
  used 
  justifies 
  the 
  inquiry 
  which 
  I 
  have 
  proposed 
  for 
  

   discussion 
  at 
  this 
  time 
  — 
  namely, 
  can 
  the 
  short 
  list 
  of 
  useful 
  

   plants 
  be 
  increased 
  to 
  advantage? 
  If 
  so, 
  how 
  ? 
  

  

  This 
  is 
  a 
  practical 
  question 
  ; 
  it 
  is 
  likewise 
  a 
  very 
  old 
  one. 
  

   In 
  one 
  form 
  or 
  another, 
  by 
  one 
  people 
  or 
  another, 
  it 
  has 
  been 
  

   asked 
  from 
  early 
  times. 
  In 
  the 
  dawn 
  of 
  civilization, 
  mankind 
  

   inherited 
  from 
  savage 
  ancestors 
  certain 
  plants, 
  which 
  had 
  been 
  

   found 
  amenable 
  to 
  simple 
  cultivation, 
  and 
  the 
  products 
  of 
  

   these 
  plants 
  supplemented 
  the 
  spoils 
  of 
  the 
  chase 
  and 
  of 
  the 
  

   sea. 
  The 
  question 
  which 
  we 
  ask 
  now 
  was 
  asked 
  then. 
  Wild 
  

  

  