16 WILLIAM GILSON FARLOW— SET CHELL [M " MO,E8 t vouxxf, 



alcohol. The students thus became acquainted with a vegetable cell, its wall, chromatophores, 

 pyrenoids, and starch inclusions, the nucleus suspended in the center of the vacuole, and the 

 primordial utricle, being induced to reason out each part and its structure by the "Yankee" 

 method of answering one question by asking another. As a final test, each student was 

 required to draw a diagram of a median longitudinal section of the Spirogyra cell. Thus the 

 student was induced to infer the details of an object with three principal dimensions and portray 

 it graphically. Spirogyra was followed by Nitella to show cyclosis, and a diagram of a median 

 longitudinal section was also required to represent relation of layers from cell wall to center 

 of a joint or tip cell. The final test of power to interpret solids came with the study of pine wood. 

 First a transverse section was cut and mounted in balsam, so as to be properly cleared. This 

 section was contrived so as to cover several annual rings. A careful drawing of this section 

 was required, and the student was asked concerning his idea of the shape of the cells in pine 

 wood, the answer usually being "square." He was also led to realize that there were several 

 varieties of cells in the section and, by comparison with the microscopic view of the piece of 

 wood whence the section had been cut, as to the direction of the center of the original tree, 

 and consequently to distinguish spring wood, autumnal wood, and medullary rays. Most 

 students were brought to the point of acknowledging that the only way to be certain about the 

 shape of the cells would be to cut a longitudinal section. Over this would ensue a discussion 

 as to what direction the longitudinal section must be cut, whether in any longitudinal direction 

 relative to rings or rays or parallel to one or the other. The discussion in this connection, 

 aided by suggestions as to consequences, led to the cutting of radial and tangential sections. 

 About this time the student was frankly and thoroughly puzzled and at his wit's end as to 

 how to match up three such different looking sections as those cut transversely, radially, and 

 tangentially through coniferous wood. By directing attention through questions as to direction 

 of center, occurrence, etc., the identification of the various kinds of cells and discoid markings 

 was accomplished in all three sections. The final exercise, that of drawing in isometric pro- 

 jection the corner of a block of pine wood and matching the cell outlines, finally and emphati- 

 cally completed the training in solid geometry and at least induced caution as to answering 

 questions without careful consideration. After these several preliminary exercises the course 

 proceeded to various selected plant types, from the simpler to the more complex, and the benefit 

 of the preliminary training became apparent. The attack directed toward each problem was 

 more straightforward, the reasoning more cautious and based on more actual observations, 

 and the inferences drawn more logical. 



Natural history 5, especially as to the first half, became nationally famous and one heard 

 of it in various places and with differing comment. It was said that the instructor gave his 

 students a razor, a microscope, and a broom handle and insisted upon a complete report. 

 Many were the wild surmises and improbable hypotheses presented by the students, some 

 received by Farlow with his inimitable chuckle, but all treated with respect and seriously argued. 

 The instructor had need of ready wit and resource. The son of a distinguished member of 

 Harvard University, after having ruined his best razor, told me in all solemnity that he con- 

 sidered that form of implement a very poor tool for cutting pine wood. The attitude of Farlow 

 toward his students, especially beginners, but applying to all, was much more psychologically 

 pedagogic than was usual in his time. It was something of the point of view of Louis Agassiz, 

 but was more directive than his, so far as I may learn. He often said that if he were to live 

 his life over again he would be a psychologist like "Willie" James because then he would not 

 be compelled to bother to collect specimens everywhere and could dismiss them when through 

 with studying them. His classification of students given in his naturalist address of 1886 is 

 typical: Two classes, one of which was composed of individuals who wanted to be told what 

 to see, and the other of those who knew so much ( ?) that they began to lecture on what they 

 thought the specimen ought to show and who were led into extraordinary errors through their 

 superficial training. The latter is the kind of student who, to use Farlow's own words, "called 

 a hole in a cell wall a bioplast," and was highly pleased with his achievement untd he was 

 asked what a bioplast was. "The suggestion that a hole might without any great violence 



