LESSON 30.] HOW TO STUDY PLANTS. 181 



the first class, of the first subclass, and of a division under it (p. 2). 

 Then, after the name of the order, follows its character (the ordinal 

 character) : under the name of each genus (as, 1. Atragcne, p. 3) is 

 added the generic character, or description of what essentially dis- 

 tinguishes it ; and finally, following the name of each species, is the 

 specific character, a succinct enumeration of the points in which it 

 mainly differs from other species of the same genus. See, for illus- 

 tration, Atragene Americana, p. 3, where the sentence immediately 

 following the names is intended to characterize our species as to its 

 difference from those of other regions. 



521. Under the next genus, Clematis (p. 3), and generally where 

 we have several species of a genus, the species are arranged under 

 sections, and these often under subsections, for the student's conven- 

 ience in analysis, the character or description of a section applying 

 to all the species under it, and therefore not having to be repeated 

 under each species. But these details are best understood by 

 practice, in the actual studying of plants to ascertain their name and 

 place. And to this the student is now ready to proceed. 



LESSON XXX. 



HOW TO STUDY PLANTS. 



522. HAVING explained, in the two preceding Lessons, the general 

 principles of Classification, and of Botanical Names, we may now 

 show, by a few examples, how the student is to proceed in applying 

 them, and how the name and the place in the system of an unknown 

 plant are to be ascertained. 



523. We suppose the student to be provided with the Manual 

 of the Botany of the Northern United States, which describes all 

 our plants known to grow wild this side of the Mississippi River 

 and north of North Carolina and Tennessee. And also to have a 

 hand magnify ing -glass, and, if possible, a simple microscope, with 

 mounted glasses, and with a stage, holding a glass plate, on which 

 small flowers or their parts may be laid, while they are dissected 

 under the microscope with the points of needles (mounted in han- 



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