70 
[July  1,  1890, 
Supplement  to  the  “ Tropical  Ar/ricaltarid:'' 
A good  coni])lexion  never  goes  wiih  a Lad  diet. 
Strong  coffee,  hot  bread  and  butter,  heated  grease, 
liighly  ?i])iced  Poii])s,  meats  or  game,  Imfc  diinUs, 
alcoliolic  liquors,  fat  meats,  are  all  damaging  to 
its  beauty. 
Salt  pre.serves  the  teeth,  keejiing  them  whiter 
the  gums  healthy,  and  tlie  breath  sweet.  1 ut 
some  in  an  iron  .sliovel,  place  it  over  the  fire  aiui 
when  quite  hot  jiour  into  a thin  bag.  Ajiply  to 
any  part  affected  with  neuralgia  or  intense  pain. 
To  remove  mihlew  from  linen  : Fir.st  of  all, 
take  some  soap  and  rub  it  well  into  the  linen, 
th.en  scrajio  some  chalk  very  rtnely  and  rub  that 
in  also,  lay  the  linen  on  the  grass,  and  as  it  dries 
wet  it  again.  This  done  twice  or  thrice  should 
remove 'the  mildew  stains.  Another  way  is  to 
mix  soft  soap  and  powdered  starch  with  half  the 
(luantity  of  salt  and  juice  of  a lemon.  Lay  this 
mixture  on  with  a brush,  and  let  the  linen  lie  out 
on  the  grass  for  a few  nights  and  llie  stains 
will  disappear. 
Paint  stains  may  be  eradicated  from  white  or 
coloured  cotton  orVoollen  goods  by  rubbing  with 
011  of  turpentine,  or  benzine,  followed  by 
soapsuds.  For  stains  of  p.rint  on  silk,  apply 
benzine  or  ether,  but  avoid  hard  rubbing.  Kipial 
parts  of  ammonia  and  turpentine  well  mixed,  and 
the  .spots  saturated  with  it,  is  also  an  excellent 
way  of  taking  out  i)aint  stain.s.  Wherever 
possible  afterwards  wash  the  mark  with  soap 
and  water. 
Dissolve  a teaspoonful  of  alum  in  a (piart  of 
water.  Wlien  cold,  stir  in  as  much  flour  as  will 
give  It  the  consistency  of  thick  cream,  being 
particular  to  beat  up  all  the  lumps ; stir  in  as 
much  powdered  resin  as  will  lie  on  a .‘--ixpence, 
and  throw  in  halfra-dozen  cloves  to  give  it  a 
plea.sant  odour.  Have  on  the  fire  a teacup  of 
boiling  wafer,  and  pour  the  flour  mixture  into  it, 
stirring  well  at  the  time.  In  a very  few  minutes 
it  will  be  of  the  con.sistency  of  mush  ; let  it  cool  ; 
lay  on  a cover  and  i)ut  in  a cool  place.  When 
needed  for  use  take  out  a portion  and  soften  it 
with  warm  water.  Paste  thus  made  will  last 
12  months.  It  is  better  than  gum,  as  it  does  not 
gloss  the  paper  and  can  be  written  on. 
the  NUTUITIYE  process  in  PLANTS. 
Prof.  J-  liepnohJs  Green,  D.Sc.,  l''.R.b\ 
{Cant  in  ued.) 
We  find  specially  occurring  in  t!>e  cell,  when  it 
• at  the  height  of  its  activity,  representatives  of 
two  <^''eat  classes  of  bodies,  carbohydrates  and 
nrolehls,  the  former  consisting  only  of  c.irbon 
L.,t.wvmn.  and  oxygen;  the  latter  containing 
Atrouen  as  well,  with  suli)hur  and  pos.sibly 
. ppporus.  'fhe  former  seem  to  bo  found 
1 endently  ; iu  the  construction  of  the  latter 
carbohydrate.s  are  involved. 
^abs 'ri)ti'iu  of  carbcn-din\id(>  by  the  cells 
r Im.  leaf  during  sunlight  i-^  associ.ited  at  once 
^ -th  the  coincident  lilK-ralion  of  o.xygen.  The 
of  tlie  litt('r  given  of  is  the  same  in 
quantity  as  that  of  tlm  former  taken  m.  The 
first  application  of  the  energy  of  absorbed  light  is 
thus  to  the  decomposition  of  tlie  carbon  dioxide. 
It  is  comsidered  that  this  splitting  uji  of  the 
latter  very  intractable  body  is  re.aponsible  for  halt 
the  oxygen  evolved,  carbon  monoxide  and  oxygen 
being  formed  according  to  the  equation 
2 CO:.,  = 2 CO  +Oy 
Side  by  side  wdth  tliis  decompositicn  there  is  the 
splitting  up  of  some  of  tlie  water  in  tlie  cell  thus  ; 
2 II2  O = 2 IL,  + (>2 
The  tw'o  molecules  of  oxygen  are  given  off 
and  the  two  residues,  the  carbonic  monoxide  and 
the  hydrogen  combine  to  produce  a body  known 
as  formaldehyde,  &c.  Further  complex  processes 
supervine,  the  formaldehyde  being  very  .speedily 
replaced  by  a sugar. 
At  this  stage  w'o  iiave  reached  a material  which 
is  directly  serviceable  as  a food-stuff  both  to  animal 
and  vegetable  protoplasm.  Whatever  be  the  form 
of  sugar  thus  formed — whether  cane  sugar  as  no  v 
appears  probable,  or  some  other  kind  — we  have 
tlie  con.st ruction,  from  .sim[)le  inorganic  substances, 
carbon  dioxide  and  water,  by  a series  of  very 
intricate  chemical  processes,  carried  out  by  the 
protopla.sm  under  the  conditions  above  no'.ed,  of 
such  complex  organic  material  as  will  serve  for  the 
nourishment  of  the  plant. 
Similarly  we  may  trace  with  more  or  less 
success  the  formation  of  proteid  material.  It 
takes  place  probably  in  the  same  cells  under  the 
same  inllueuces,  though  from  different  materials, 
and  by  very  different  steps.  Chlorophyll  does 
not  seem  to  be  directly  nece.ssary  for  the  iirocess, 
but  most  likely  carbohydrate  matter  takes  a part 
in  the  construction,  po.ssibly  being  combined  with 
peculiar  nitrogenous  crystalline  bodies  known  as 
amides,  which  are  in  their  turn  constructed  from 
the  simpler  comjiounds  of  nitrogen  taken  in  from 
the  soil.  Chlorophyll  is  thus  concerned,  though 
indirectly,  in  the  production  of  protieds  in  the 
green  plant. 
Doth  sugar  and  proteid  material  are  available 
for  the  mitrition  of  the  cells  in  which  they  are 
formed,  and  if  constructive  ability  is  not  very 
great,  as  w'hon  light  is  dull  or  temperature  lowq 
probably  they  are  at  once  used  up.  Dut  it  is 
different  when  the  plant  is  well  illuminated  ; 
then  construction  is  active,  and  a large  quantity 
of  both  classes  of  material  is  made,  far  indeed 
beyond  immediate  requirements.  The  form  of 
the  leaf  and  the  peculiarity  of  behaviour  both  of 
stem  and  leaf,  go  to  sliow  that  construction 
beyond  such  reciuirements  is  distinctly  advan- 
tageous. The  substances  of  the  leaf  is  very  small 
in  comparison  with  its  surface ; its  cells  are  so 
arranged  as  to  .secure  the  greatest  possilffe  amount 
of  light  ; and  its  position  is  delinitely  taken  up  so 
as  to  irlace  its  upper  surface  at  right  angles  to 
the  incident  rays. 
The  first  sign  of  this  excess  of  activity  over 
consumption  is  to  be  found  in  the  ap]»earance  of 
stnall  grains  of  starch  in  the  cells  of  the  leaves. 
It  is  im])orlanl  to  note  that  the  stable  body,  .starch 
is  not  the  form  of  carbohydrate  on  which 
protoplasm  can  fiiod,  AVhenever  starch  is  to  be 
used  for  nutritive  purposes,  whofher  by  animal  or 
b^  [ilant,  if.  has  to  iindorgD  n coin er.-iun  info 
sugar.  I he  .starch  thus  ajipearing  in  the  hnif  is 
then  the  lir.st  indication  of  tini  process  of  storage 
of  re -('r\ e innlorials.  True  it  does  not  persist  long 
in  the  hull.  Formed  during  the  day,  it  is  removed 
