Decomposition

bacteria into humus. The process involved in the early stages of this transformation depends throughout on oxidation : afterwards it takes place in the absence of air. The process is entirely sanitary. There is no nuisance of any kind - no smell, no flies, no dustbins, no incinerators, no artificial sewage system, no water - borne diseases, no town councils, and no rats. On the contrary, the forest affords a place for the ideal summer holiday with sufficient shade and an abundance of pure fresh air. All over the surface of the woods the conversion of vegetable and animal wastes into humus is never so rapid as during the holiday months - July to September. The mineral matter needed by the trees and the undergrowth is obtained from the subsoil. This is collected in dilute solution in water by the deeper roots, which also help in anchoring the trees. Even in soils markedly deficient in phosphorus, trees have no difficulty in obtaining ample supplies of this element. Potash, phosphate, and other minerals are always collected in situ and carried by the transpiration current for use in the green leaves. Afterwards they are either used in growth or deposited on the floor of the forest in the form of vegetable waste being one of the constituents needed in the synthesis of humus. This humus is again utilized by the roots of the trees. Nature’s farming, as seen in the forest, is characterized by two things, a constant circulation of the mineral matter absorbed by the trees and a constant addition of new mineral matter from the vast reserves held in the subsoil.

Chemistry is all around you. The air you breathe, the food you eat, the clothes you wear, chemistry touches virtually every aspect of our lives. More than any other science, it has transformed the world in which we live, bringing us abundant food, better health, stronger materials, softer fabrics, brighter colors, cleaner homes, safer transport, greater energy efficiency etc. Our body is a complex mixture of chemical substances (65% mass is due to the chemical compound, water) and we are kept alive by chemical reactions taking place in our cells. As a society, we use chemicals as medicines when we are sick, whether we use natural remedies or pharmaceutical products, chemical reactions keep us warm, cook our food and power our transport. But chemistry also has its darker side and that has been in discovering and developing substances which are potentially harmful. Bioterrorism and chemical war are curses of the advances in science. Toxicology is a science which studies all such materials which become a threat to the mankind. Now a days, it is almost impossible for an ordinary person to obtain toxic chemicals, and it is almost impossible for a poisoner to escape detection after the use. Poison is a weapon which is usable both ways and by those who wish to kill, may do so in such a way that the victim is unaware of it. Such deaths are sometimes shown as natural deaths.