DEFINITION OF BOTANY. ]J 



ficial uses. But as this definition would in- 

 clude many arts and sciences, each of them 

 sufficient to occupy any common mind, as 

 Agriculture, Dietetics, Medicine, and many 

 others; it is sufficient for a philosophical na- 

 turalist to be acquainted with the general 

 principles upon which such arts and sciences 

 are founded. 



That part of Natural History which con- 

 cerns plarits is called Botany, from Boravtf, the 

 Greek word for an herb or grass. It may be 

 divided into three branches; 1st, The phy- 

 siology of plants, or a knowledge of the struc- 

 ture and functions of their different parts; 2 dry, 

 The systematical arrangement and denomina- 

 tion of their several kinds; and odly, Their 

 (economical or medical properties. All these 

 objects should be kept in view by an intelli- 

 gent botanist. The two first are of essential 

 service to each other, and the last is only to 

 be pursued, with any certainty, by such as 

 are versed in the other two. The present 

 publication is intended to explain the funda- 

 mental principles of them all, with as much 

 practical illustration as may be necessary for 

 those who wish to become well acquainted 



