Notes on thk Stiuv <>f Botany. 25 







petals or stamens, buds or roots, leaves or pistels ; but it is desirable 

 after beginning any topic, not to abandon it until many of 

 of the various forms have been thoroughly studied. After a day, two> 

 three or more of study of the specimens pertaining to one topic, comes 

 the study of the book. A young man of eighteen begins and pursues 

 the same course as a child of ten, only he will progress faster and go 

 deeper. As students advance, subjects for descriptive compositions are 

 assigned them. Each pupil studies the living plants for himself and 

 makes his own observations, experiments and notes, the only help 

 afforded him being brief hints as to how to set to work intelligently. 

 For instance. one studies and writes upon the arrangement and 

 development of the parts of the flower with reference to its self- 

 fertilization 01 fertilization by birds, insects, wind or other means ; 

 another the climbing of virginia-creeper ; another the times of opening 

 and closing of flowers ; and so on ad infinitum. When completed the 

 theses are read in the class-room. Throughout the academic year full 

 three-fourths of the time is given to object lessons, books serving only 

 for reference. But little time is occupied with lectures, short talks of 

 ten or fifteen minutes being occasionally given. In the whole course 

 there is kept constantly in view how best to prepare students to acquire 

 information for themselves with readiness and accuracy, in other words, 

 they are trained more than they are taught. 



This, or some modification of it, is the system of teaching botany 

 now most in repute, and wisely so. 1 agree fully with Prof. Keal that 

 the great object should be to put students in the way of becoming 

 independent and reliable observers and experimenters, and that the 

 method of study pursued should be primal ily objective, and based upon 

 the actual examination of appropriate material. To my mind, however, 

 a certain, though slight, amount of knowledge gained by the old system 

 is necessary before much can be accomplished by the new, and I would 

 prefer, if teaching, to first of all give my pupils some idea of what plants 

 are, how they grow, the nature of their structure, and the number of 

 their parts. This to be done in a short series (three or four) of familiar 

 talks, made as simple as possible, with each point illustrated by drawings, 

 models, dried specimens, or, best of all, freshly gathered plants. With- 



