36 THE AMERICAN BOTANIST. 



sucli wide distribution and grow in such abundance that their 

 study is comparatively an easy matter to all who have access 

 to field and stream. 



Shiishan, N. Y. 



BREAKING INTO BOTANY. 



BY T. J. WILKINSON. 



ALLOW me to make a few suggestions that may be of in- 

 terest to beginners in botanical knowledge, taking my 

 own case as illustrative of the matter. Some years ago I found 

 that a knowledge of the flora would add interest to outdoor 

 life and with this in view I purchased some of the popular 

 hand-books on flowers but soon found they were not what I 

 wanted. I purchased some of the older botanical text books 

 (Wood's, etc.) and then learned how to make plant analysis 

 and in correct botanical language. This ended my second 

 year in pursuit of flower knowledge. Next spring with note 

 book in hand I commenced a more scientific campaign. I 

 wrote in botanical terms a description of my new finds, then 

 with Gray's Manual in hand I traced the plant and made 

 much progress. Some plant problems were unsolvable but 

 each season I attacked the unsolved problems of the year be- 

 fore and some I succeeded in solving, while many I did not. 

 A few of my problems I asked the Academy of Natural Sci- 

 ence to solve and Mr. Stewardson Brown alwa3^s kindly as- 

 sisted me, but as I dislike troubling others I kept up my inves- 

 tigations of the book store and finally located Britton & 

 Brown's "Illustrated Flora." This I purchased early in the 

 summer and it is to this 3-volume publication that I am most 

 indebted for renewed interest and added knowledge. It solv- 

 ed the difficulties of an untrained, undirected amateur, and 

 has given me the key I long wished for. 



I do not think any one with a love for the science would 

 misuse the Britton & Brown volumes; by this I mean just 

 turning the pages to find the picture of the plant in hand. An 

 intelligent plant analysis is far more interesting but after 



