II. WHAT BOTANY IS OF MOST WORTH? 



THIS question is here asked solely with reference to 

 teaching, especially in an elementary course. As for 

 the Science itself, and its investigation, no one part 

 is of more importance than any other, for all are of 

 the utmost value, and the field is boundless in every 

 direction. But in teaching, selection is imperative, 

 and it is necessary to find out what will give the best 

 returns for the time and energy expended. Of course 

 this best, or optimum, must always be a resultant be- 

 tween the practical limitations of available time, equip- 

 ment, etc., on the one hand, and the opinion of the 

 teacher as to what constitutes the best training and 

 most useful knowledge on the other. Laboratory 

 equipment and related matters are treated in other 

 parts of this book ; I shall here try to examine what 

 data there may be for a judgment upon the relative 

 educational value of the different phases of botanical 

 study. 



A comparison of the elementary courses in Botany 

 offered by the different colleges and high schools, or 

 of the several books of recent date written as guides 

 for elementary courses, shows the greatest diversity 

 of plan. The majority of the courses, particularly in 



29 



