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EDITORIAL. 



We desire to Ccall especial attention to the article by Dr. Halsted 

 in the last number of The Plant World in which is brouo:ht out so 

 strongly the difference between the so-called old and new elementary 

 text-books in botany. As nearly as possible the capacity of the 

 students whose examination papers were there given was equal, and 

 with no attempt at stage effect, the results are so strikingly different, 

 and the advantage of the one over the other so plain, that he who runs 

 may read. Most of us can remem])er with regret how we were obliged 

 to memorize the names signifying the shapes of buds, leaves, flowers, 

 etc., with the sole object of being able to trace a plant to its scientific 

 name, as a bear is tracked to his den! We were taught little or nothing 

 of the functions of plant organs, of the reasons for the multitudinous 

 shapes assumed by plant structures, of plant societies and the like, and 

 it is small wonder that most of the other members of our botany class 

 dropped the subject as soon as the curriculum permitted. It is, of 

 course, not possible that all who study botany in the secondary schools 

 or even in college, will become professional botanists, for the study 

 of the vegetable kingdom is but one phase of what is called a liberal 

 education, but with a work like Coulter's as a text-book, we shall cer- 

 tainly expect to find an increasing number who are interested in, and 

 have some definite knowledge of the varied phenomena of plant life. 



America is doing well in preserving areas of special interest by 

 government purchases. In England, there is a public society known 

 as the National Trust, that is buying up tracts for the purpose of pre- 

 serving wild plants and animals of rare value in natural history. Part 

 of a huge swamp, known as Wicken Fen, has recently been purchased 

 by this society for this laudible purpose, — 2ftehans' Mohthhj for Sep- 

 tember. 



