﻿G. 
  L. 
  Goodale 
  — 
  Possibilities 
  of 
  Economic 
  Botany. 
  275 
  

  

  plants 
  were 
  examined 
  for 
  new 
  uses 
  ; 
  primitive 
  agriculture 
  and 
  

   horticulture 
  extended 
  their 
  bounds 
  in 
  answer 
  to 
  this 
  inquiry. 
  

   Age 
  after 
  age 
  has 
  added 
  slowly 
  and 
  cautiously 
  to 
  the 
  list 
  of 
  

   cultivable 
  and 
  utilizable 
  plants, 
  but 
  the 
  aggregate 
  additions 
  

   have 
  been 
  as 
  we 
  have 
  seen, 
  comparatively 
  slight. 
  

  

  The 
  question 
  has 
  thus 
  no 
  charm 
  of 
  novelty, 
  but 
  it 
  is 
  as 
  prac- 
  

   tical 
  to-day 
  as 
  in 
  early 
  ages 
  In 
  fact, 
  at 
  the 
  present 
  time, 
  in 
  

   view 
  of 
  all 
  the 
  appliances 
  at 
  the 
  command 
  of 
  modern 
  science 
  

   and 
  under 
  the 
  strong 
  light 
  cast 
  by 
  recent 
  biological 
  and 
  tech- 
  

   nological 
  research, 
  the 
  inquiry 
  which 
  we 
  propose 
  assumes 
  great 
  

   importance. 
  One 
  phase 
  of 
  it 
  is 
  being 
  attentively 
  and 
  syste- 
  

   matically 
  regarded 
  in 
  the 
  great 
  Experiment 
  Stations, 
  another 
  

   phase 
  is 
  being 
  studied 
  in 
  the 
  laboratories 
  of 
  Chemistry 
  and 
  

   Pharmacy, 
  while 
  still 
  another 
  presents 
  itself 
  in 
  the 
  museums 
  

   of 
  Economic 
  Botany. 
  

  

  Our 
  question 
  may 
  be 
  put 
  in 
  other 
  words, 
  which 
  are 
  even 
  

   more 
  practical. 
  What 
  present 
  likelihood 
  is 
  there 
  that 
  our 
  

   tables 
  may, 
  one 
  of 
  these 
  days, 
  have 
  other 
  vegetables, 
  fruits 
  and 
  

   cereals, 
  than 
  those 
  which 
  we 
  use 
  now 
  \ 
  What 
  chance 
  is 
  there 
  

   that 
  new 
  fibers 
  may 
  supplement 
  or 
  even 
  replace 
  those 
  which 
  

   we 
  spin 
  and 
  weave, 
  that 
  woven 
  fabrics 
  may 
  take 
  on 
  new 
  veg- 
  

   etable 
  colors, 
  that 
  flowers 
  and 
  leaves 
  may 
  yield 
  new 
  perfumes 
  

   and 
  ilavors? 
  What 
  probability 
  is 
  there 
  that 
  new 
  remedial 
  

   agents 
  may 
  be 
  found 
  among 
  plants 
  neglected 
  or 
  now 
  wholly 
  

   unknown? 
  The 
  answer 
  which 
  I 
  shall 
  attempt 
  is 
  not 
  in 
  the 
  

   nature 
  of 
  a 
  prophecy 
  ; 
  it 
  can 
  claim 
  no 
  rank 
  higher 
  than 
  that 
  

   of 
  a 
  reasonable 
  conjecture. 
  

  

  At 
  the 
  outset 
  it 
  must 
  be 
  said 
  that 
  synthetic 
  chemistry 
  has 
  

   made 
  and 
  is 
  making 
  some 
  exceedingly 
  short 
  cuts 
  across 
  this 
  

   field 
  of 
  research, 
  giving 
  us 
  artificial 
  dyes, 
  odors, 
  flavors, 
  and 
  

   medicinal 
  substances, 
  of 
  such 
  excellence 
  that 
  it 
  sometimes 
  

   seems 
  as 
  if 
  before 
  long 
  the 
  old-fashioned 
  chemical 
  processes 
  in 
  

   the 
  plant 
  itself 
  would 
  play 
  only 
  a 
  subordinate 
  part. 
  But 
  although 
  

   there 
  is 
  no 
  telling 
  where 
  the 
  triumphs 
  of 
  chemical 
  synthesis 
  will 
  

   end, 
  it. 
  is 
  not 
  probable 
  that 
  it 
  will 
  ever 
  interfere 
  essentially 
  

   with 
  certain 
  classes 
  of 
  economic 
  plants. 
  It 
  is 
  impossible 
  to 
  

   conceive 
  of 
  a 
  synthetic 
  fiber 
  or 
  a 
  synthetic 
  fruit. 
  Chemistry 
  

   gives 
  us 
  fruit-ethers 
  and 
  fruit-acids, 
  and 
  after 
  a 
  while 
  may 
  pro- 
  

   vide 
  us 
  with 
  a 
  true 
  artificial 
  sugar 
  and 
  amorphous 
  starch 
  ; 
  but 
  

   artificial 
  fruits 
  worth 
  the 
  eating 
  or 
  artificial 
  fibers 
  worth 
  the 
  

   spinning 
  are 
  not 
  coming 
  in 
  our 
  day. 
  

  

  Despite 
  the 
  extraordinary 
  achievements 
  of 
  synthetic 
  chemis- 
  

   try, 
  the 
  world 
  must 
  be 
  content 
  to 
  accept 
  for 
  a 
  long 
  time 
  to 
  

   come, 
  the 
  results 
  of 
  the 
  intelligent 
  labor 
  of 
  the 
  cultivator 
  of 
  

   the 
  soil 
  and 
  the 
  explorer 
  of 
  the 
  forest. 
  Improvement 
  of 
  the 
  

   good 
  plants 
  we 
  now 
  utilize, 
  and 
  the 
  discovery 
  of 
  new 
  ones 
  

   must 
  remain 
  the 
  care 
  of 
  large 
  numbers 
  of 
  diligent 
  students 
  

  

  