Boosters claimed that cellulose, from which the stalks, leaves and wood of plants are made, could if suitably treated become a substitute for the starch in corn.

These sugars are subsequently linked up to form the structural polymers, such as cellulose and lignin, which compose wood and bark.

The ultimate result of the wood decay under their action is that all components (cellulose and lignin) are removed in differing proportions at different rates, and the decayed wood is light- colored.