5o8 Report S.A.A. Advancement of Science. 



skilled and trained teacher, otherwise the mass of facts that may be 

 observed would be simply confusing. But take a few common seeds 

 to begin with. We can " notice their sizes and shapes, the exact 

 kinds and relative portions of all of the markings on the coats, and 

 their relation to the parts of the embryo inside, the number of the 

 coats, the full number of parts in the embryo, and the exact way they 

 are put together ; all afford, under the skilled teacher, fine materials 

 for practice in observation." " Later the seeds may be germinated, 

 and the exact place and mode of new structures, the position of 

 newer leaves relatively to the older," the development of the root, 

 and many other features may be noticed and compared in different 

 plants. We can at once also vary the conditions under which these 

 seeds are germinated. We can trace the influence of heat, light, air, 

 moisture and gravitation. We can grow them at various tempera- 

 tures, and show that seeds will just germinate at a certain minimum 

 of heat, they will not germinate beyond a certain maximum, they will 

 germinate best at a certain optimum. We can then discuss the 

 question of the conditions under which seeds will keep this vitality. 

 These hints will show that Botany gives abundant scope for accurate 

 observation. This will scarcely be disputed, but I wanted further to 

 show that, at all events for elementary work, a good deal of this can 

 be done with material which is everywhere available, a few dozen 

 seeds of common garden or farm plants being quite sufficient to keep 

 a class usefully employed for many hours. In a similar manner 

 one can go through a whole course of teaching Botany at schools 

 without in many cases having to search for material for study ; 

 besides, very few tools are required for it. 



To make observations accurate, we should at every stage make 

 the students draw the objects they see, and this is a point which 

 all skilled teachers insist upon. 



" Next among scientific instincts comes faith in causality, involv- 

 ing the belief that every phenomenon is yoked with preceding factors, 

 combined with a desire to learn what these are." In practice, the 

 observation of facts and the enquiry how they are caused, should 

 never be separated, " and the cultivation of the habit of testing the 

 connection of causes and effects by experiments is, therefore, a most 

 important part of botanical training." Here, again. Botany offers 

 facilities which no other science possesses. The dullest child, when 

 observing germinating seeds, will be struck with the fact that the 

 root alwavs grows perpendicularly downwards, and the stem perpen- 

 dicularly upwards. The every-day, dull mind will not bother further 

 about this fact. It was so when his father germinated seeds, and 

 will always be so. The intelligent man with true scientific instinct 

 will, however, want to know the cause of it. I may at once say that 

 the ultimate cause is not clearly discovered yet, but the 

 immediate cause for making root and shoot grow in opposite direc- 

 tions is the attraction of the earth, gravitation. This was discovered 

 by an Englishman, Andrew Knight. That he was right can easily 

 be shown to a class of students, first, by placing germinating seeds 

 on a perpendicular, slowly-revolving wheel, when the attraction of 



