THE AMERICAN BOTANIST 51 



are wont to give their children to keep them quiet and out of 

 mischief. Here and there in your classes a real botanist will 

 develop who will learn to pr^jss plants with your assistance or 

 in spite of it. Only such needs to be encouragfed to form p.ii 

 herbarium. 



Usually flowers are abundant during only the last few 

 weeks in the term and the temptation is always great to crowd 

 the work in or'der to secure as many flowers as possible. This 

 seems to be a mistake. Too frequently teachers fail to interest 

 the pupils in the flowers themselves, the securing of the scien- 

 tific name apparently being the end and aim of the pupil's en- 

 deavors. This doubtless accounts for the fact that nine- 

 tenths of our botany students cease the use of a manual as soon 

 as school is out. It is very desirable, after the name of a plant 

 is learned, to investigate into its habits a bit ; to discover what 

 insects pollinate it, how its seeds are distributed and its 

 methods of attracting insects and other guests. 



Unusual efifort should be bent upon the task of convinc- 

 ing the pupil that the end and aim of the course is not the se- 

 curing of the specific name Some, — nay many — are never 

 convinced and find the index always more attractive than the 

 key. Others there are who disdain all help from index or 

 classmates and take pride in working out the plants for 

 themselves. These may be early separated from the rest of 

 the class and allowed to go it alone. Usually at the end of the 

 season they will be found far ahead of the work required of 

 the rest. From pupils such as these come the real botanists. 



How to convince the searcher of the index that the key 

 is better is often a difficult matter. Certain schemes, however, 

 may help to hold him to his work. He may be required to 

 write out the main heads of the key as he goes along as a guar- 

 antee that he has really named his plant by that means. 

 Another feature that needs to be discouraged is the copying 



