THE AMERICAN BOTANIST 25 



structure resemble those of monocots, the leaves of flax, a 

 dicot, are parallel veined, while the monocot arums, yams and 

 trilliums have netted-veined leaves. Several monocot flowers 

 are four-parted notably Aspidistra and Paris. Dicots with 

 three or six parted flowers are not rare. There are numerous 

 lesser differences between the monocots and dicots, however, 

 none of which will hold for all the species in the group, but 

 are nevertheless characteristic enough to be noticed. In the 

 monocot the bundle is "closed" and lacks combium, in the 

 dicot it is "open" and has cambium ; in the one the leaf-edge 

 is entire in the other notched ; the root-system lacks a tap root 

 in the first, and usually possesses it in the second. Monocots 

 more frequently lack a petiole and the leaves are not cut off 

 by cleavage planes, dicot leaves are just the reverse. The 

 seeds in monocots usually have endosperm, and the cotyledon 

 is terminal, in the dicots the seeds usually lack endosperm and 

 the cotyledons are lateral. Monocots usually store food in the 

 stem or leaves, dicots in the root. Monocots seldom branch, 

 dicots usually do. Monocots inhabit warm and dry regions, 

 dicots can stand more cold. 



Teaching Agriculture. — The subject of agriculture 

 should be incorporated into the science work of the high 

 school and not superimposed upon the already crowded high 

 school course — a mistake that has been made often enough 

 that it should begin to be apparent to the friends of agricul- 

 tural education. And for this purpose, only the "principles" 

 of agriculture (or any other vocation) have a right to a place 

 in the course. That all principles of agriculture are scientific 

 principles and as such are the most familiar and available for 

 cultural use is here asserted. Courses of study providing 

 specific methods and practices in the economics of cutivation 

 of particular crops, harvesting, preservation, breed peculiari- 

 ties, care of herds — all being matters of information and skill 



