348 WILD FLOWEKS OF 



tion.* The fair portion of human kind are so sensible 

 of this, that almost every lady will be now found, 

 more or less, conversant with botany ; in fact, the 

 majority of practical though unostentatious botanists 

 are ladies ; and this circumstance should induce them 

 to exact the cultivation of the science from their 

 sluggish admirers. 



The language that botany employs may, at first 

 sight, appear rather repulsive ; but familiarity with it 

 soon shows this to be little more than ideal, while the 



* Unfortunately, a school of Botanists exists in the present day, which 

 under the pretence of depreciating the Linnaean system, and exalting " the 

 Natural," leads the Neophyte into such labyrinths, that the mere designa- 

 tion of plants is scoffed at, as if the knowledge of a plant's name would act 

 as an insuperable bar to the attainment of any further progress in botani- 

 cal science. So far is this absurd idea now carried, that I have met with 

 gentlemen who had attended regular courses of Botanical Lectures with 

 reference to the Natural System only, and yet, while conversant with phy- 

 siological details, knew not how they were to proceed to ascertain the name 

 of the humblest weed that grew by the way side ! Thus their want of prac- 

 tical knowledge rendered them almost as utterly helpless in the field as if 

 they had never studied Botany at all. Now I contend that one of the prin- 

 cipal scources of pleasure presented by Botany is to know not merely the 

 natural order, but the generic and specific name of every plant that meets 

 the view of the roving eye ; and as this necessary knowledge is obtained 

 with most facility by the Linnaean system, I recommend the student to 

 direct his attention to that primarily. He will have, by this means, a key 

 in his hand to the most refined and exciting of all delights ; and he can 

 afterwards study the Natural System, if time and leisure be at his com- 

 mand. A key to the knowledge of names must be obtained; for the archi- 

 tect who examined a host of buildings without learning the names of any 

 of the parts of them he saw, would act as wisely as the theoretical Bota- 

 nist, who only attending to NATURAL ORDERS, finds himself incompetent 

 to name, specifically, the first native plant that meets his view when Sum- 

 mer has wooed him to give up a leisure hour to an exploration of the hills 

 and groves. Dr. DRUMMOND has well observed, that " according to an 

 aphorism of LINN^US, the great and important step in understanding any 

 science is to know things themselves. How can we reason about plants 

 unless we know what these plants are ? We must first have a knowledge 

 of the things we speak, or write, or think, or philosophize about, before 

 we can do any of these to a good purpose, and, therefore, the most useful 

 and important introduction to any science is that which leads us fairly to 

 a knowledge of the things themselves. Here the Linnaean system is pre- 

 eminent over all other introductions to a knowledge of plants." 



