CLASS-BOOK OF BOTANY. 



PART SECOND, 



-m^^^m- 



PREFACE TO THE TABLES. 



The following anahjl.kal tables, founded upon the artificial arrangetncnt 

 of Linnosus, together with those of the succeeding pages nnder each natural 

 order, are designed and presented simply as a mode of botanic analysis, which 

 is, in some respects, new and improved. They are the result of much labor and 

 investigation, since each character employed, required a previous examination 

 of all the species included under it. They reduce the process of analysis to 

 a simple series of dilemmas or alternatives, the decision being, in almost all 

 cases, to be made merely between t(oo opposite or obviously distinct characters. 

 These decisions or dilemmas being, nwreover, few in number, conduct the stu- 

 dent with absolute precision (provided the tables be free from error and the 

 specimen a good one), to the order or genus to which his plant belongs, by 

 once reading across the page. The advantages thus afforded v»'ill be duly ap- 

 preciated, at least by those who have hitherto been subjected to the drudgery 

 of readintr through whole pages of dry generic descriptions, and that too, oft- 

 en, without arriving at any satisfactory conclusion. 



In regard to the generic characters employed in the tables, it will be observed 

 tliat they are drawn from leaves, fruit, floioer, or any portion of the plant which 

 suited our convenience, our only inquiry being after those which appear to 

 us the most obvious and constant. It should be remarked, however, that in 

 many instances, these characters are not strictly applicable to all the known 

 species belonging to those particular genera, but only to those which are de- 

 scribed in this work, that is, found ia New England or New York. In our 

 choice of terms we have always, of necessity, studied the utmost brevity of 

 expression, but have used none but such as are explained in the glossary or 

 in the body of the work. 



AUhougli the manner in which these tables are to be used will in general 

 be obvious at a glance, yet it may not be unprofitable to attend to the follow- 

 A 



