434 Journal of Applied Microscopy. 



three subjects instead of one, we should have a fair quota of time (one and one- 

 half years'* for our sciences. At present botany is the only subject required in 

 all courses (^fitting a requirement of the University of ^lichigan^, giving students 

 onlv one semester of laboratory work. The zoology and physiolog)- are elective 

 and are taken by a smaller number. 



The biological studies regularlv come in the second vear of the high school 

 course. The number of students varies from 300 to obO. divided among three 

 teachers. Botanv and zoology are given as full courses each semester, i. e., live 

 times per week. Physiolog}- extends over two semesters as a half course. The 

 six recitation periods of the school (fort}--two minutes each) are divided for biol- 

 og\' in such a way that each student has two periods one day and one the next. 

 For this single-hour day he may be required to prepare a lesson at home, otherwise 

 all the work is done at school. Recitations occupy about one-fifth to one-fourth the 

 whole time. It will be seen, then, tliat the work is mostly laboratory, and these 

 lessons are always begun by placing in tlie hands of each student a set of direct- 

 ing questions and the specimens upon which they bear. This is the work for 

 several days, or until tlie subject is completed, with notes and drawings made at 

 tlie time of obser%-ation. It is not good practice to take only scrappy and hur- 

 ried notes from which to write up a complete account outside the laboraton,-. 

 Memors", imagination, and the text-book are too often drawn on in such case and 

 the work has not the same value. Generally, when a subject is finished the work 

 is reviewed, the facts correlated, and general conclusions stated. 



In botanv the first semester is begun with flowers because then they may be 

 had in abundance. The fruits follow as the ripened parts of flowers, then seeds, 

 seedlings, roots, stems, buds and branches, and leaves, thus returning to the 

 flowering stage of the plant. Before closing, the work is reviewed in the shape 

 of the life-historj- of the flowering plant, which can be made to include all that 

 the student has learned. This is rather more than can be profitably done and 

 we contemplate cutting down the number of subjects, and perhaps introducing 

 more experiments, especially such as illusti'ate the activities of plants. 



We find experiments the most helpful way of thoroughly impressing facts on 

 the mind. But in order to get their full value they should be performed by the 

 students themselves as far as possible. Out of thirty-two students given a sup- 

 plementar}' examination, twenty-five correctly explained an experiment illustra- 

 ting respiration in plants. This and similar experiences certainly indicate the 

 value of experiments. We give most of the experiments suggested by Bergen's 

 Elements of Botany, though in a somewhat modified form. 



The course in zoolog}- begins with the lower forms covering as many types as 

 can be thoroughly done, including a mammal if possible. One semester the ex- 

 periment was tried beginning with higher forms first, but was not thought as 

 satisfactor}- as the other way. which was again adopted. The laboratory' work in 

 each group is followed by a discussion of relationship. One period on Friday of 

 each week is devoted to reports and discussion of such biological topics as can 

 be understood by this grade of students. Once during each semester the class 

 visits the Art Museum, where, after a lecture by the custodian, the zoological 

 specimens are examined. 



