EDITORIAL 



^ D O ^ 



Within the past few years, the study of botany in schools 

 has changed very rapidly. Not long ago, high school botany 

 consisted in learning the meaning of the terms in descriptive 

 botany, the tracing of plant names, the "analyzing" of flowers 

 and the making of an herbarium. This phase of botany still 

 holds in some sections but is fast giving place to a newer 

 botany that, while founded upon it, differs widely in treatment. 

 By the old method the student learned of roots, stem^, leaves 

 and flowers for the sole purpose of being able to discover the 

 names of plants by the use of ;i key ; at present he studies these 

 same organs to discover of what significance they are in the 

 organization of the plant and may spend an entire year in 

 botanical studies without coming in contact with a key. The 

 first half year, at least, of any good botanical course now en- 

 deavors to give the pupil an understanding of how the plant 

 lives, how it takes and makes its food, how it reproduces, how^ 

 it disseminates its seeds, how it is adjusted to its surroundings 

 and the part each organ plays in the work. In the old books, 

 photosynthesis, respiration, transpiration and osmosis were 

 rarely mentioned and pollination was confused with fertiliza- 

 tion; now these matters cleared of this obscurity form the 

 groundwork of the course. When the new phase of botany 

 first came into vogue, it was taught, like the old, by the recita- 

 tion method. Structures and processes were described and the 

 student was expected to read and remember. But the question 

 early came to tlie teacher, Why not study the plants them- 

 selves instead of studying about them? Acting upon this sug- 

 gestion botany became a laboratory study. For a long time, 

 however, it was hampered by the attitude of the books devoted 

 to the subject. In these the authors, accustomed to describing 

 plants and plant processes, continued to describe the things to 



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