BOTANICAL GAZETTE. 234 



systematic, they nnatomical and physiological botany greater atten- 

 tion. Herein I am persuaded they are correct. I believe I am safe 

 in saying that a man might there successfully pass his examination for 

 the degree of Doctor ot Philosophy and yet not be able to name "on 

 sight' three hundred species of plants; but he has the training which 

 enables him to determine all, when there exists a necessity for doing 

 so. We on the contrary insist on the recognition of plants, without 

 inquiring too critically how much the candidate knows about them. 



Systematic botany must, if it represents a strictly natural system, 

 be founded on a nice appreciation of the entire organization, the life 

 history of the individual, and its relation in present and pa^t time to 

 allied plants. This then is the highest, all embracing trend botani- 

 cal thought can assume. In aspiring to this we neglect the founda- 

 tion. I'he German school builds a solid foundation and leaves the 

 student mainly to give the superstructure such shape as he v/ill. Be- 

 tween the two tiiere can be but little doubt as to which is the more 

 jjhilosophic, or certainly as to wiiich is the better mode of training 

 for original investigation. 



The laboratories of Harvard, Michigan (two) and Iowa have ta- 

 ken the initiative in introducing needed reforms, and already a most 

 ]jromising crop of fruit is the result. The labors of Torrey, Gray, 

 En^elmann and Watson have placed our phitnogamic flora on firm 

 foundation for subsecjuent workers, and the question now is how are 

 these to be trainee ? First of all, by indoctrinating them with the idea 

 that they will make the most substantial mental gains if they study each 

 individual plant exhaustively. How farthisshall becarried is a question 

 for the judgment of theteacher, but it is the idea the student should be 

 saturated with "through and through." It is the foundation of his 

 foundation, and makes critical investigation press upon him with the 

 weight of an ever present duty. Yet this is just the hardest lesson 

 every American teacher finds it to inculcate. Does it indicate a rad- 

 ical defect in the earlier culture, or is it a race peculiarity? 



Another idea in this connection is worthy the consideration of 

 teachers, /. ^'. , that take any plant, its life history is but imi)erfectly 

 known, and the student may be encouraged to believe that he can in 

 it find something hitherto unknown, if he will but hunt fiir it. The 

 readiest jjossible confirmation of the absolute truth of this statement 

 is fi)und in that noble series of works Mr. Darwin has given the 

 world. So valuable have they been that hardly a branch of natural 

 science has failed to acknowledge their influence. Yet how {qv; plants 

 have been treated upon by them ! This is essentially the idea upon 

 which de Bary's instruction is predicated, and witness the discoveries, 

 among the commonest ])lants, that have followed his systematic ques- 

 tioning point by ])oint the life history of each one. 



Aijart from this honest s'.udy of one very narrow field, the lec- 

 tures of tlie professor are not to be regarded as points confirmed for 

 the special benefit of the student to save labor on his j)art, but rath- 

 er as outlines of the facts the student must verify. The value of such 

 training, embracing as it does a survey of the large part of the field 



