AN (>UTLINE OF PII YTOBIOl.OGY. 5- 



communication of results. Under these favoring con- 

 ditions wc can enter ^xitli coniidence upon the new 

 work. And it is a fortunate coincidence, which we must 

 not overlook, that its pursuit under the auspices of this 

 Society will distinctly further the highest object of the 

 Society's existence, the collection of data for a true natural 

 history of Acadia. We have therefore a double stimulus 

 to the careful consideration of the subject before us. 



I. — The Relationship of Phytobiology to the other Depart- 

 ments OF Botanical Study. 



In order to thoroughly comprehend tlie scope ot 

 Phytobiology it is needful to examine briefly its relation- 

 ship to the other departments of Botany. It will be useiul 

 also incidentally to note where to the latter the local 

 botanist can be of service. It is of course understood 

 that the advancement of knowledge in all departments 

 must depend upon the specialists, Avho alone can com- 

 mand the requisite training, libraries and collections. 



The vastness of the range of botanical study has made 

 needful its division into departments. These, based 

 mainly upon convenience, caimot be logically distinct 

 and must merge often one into another. As they have 

 practically segregated themselves, the}' are about as 

 follows : 



I. Systematic Botany, the sUidy of the relationship of plants to 

 one another. Its ideal is to construct the real genealogical tree of 

 plants. Based in the past chiefl}^ upon anatomy, its future advance 

 must be through aid of morphology, which alone affords a true guide 

 to genetic relationship. As hitherto, the local botanist can assist by 

 exhaustive local explorations and communication of his results to the 

 specialists. 



II. Puyto-Anatomy (Vegetable Anatomy), the study of the 

 actual present structure of plants and their parts, apart from causation. 

 In its larger aspects it is rarely studied apart from Systematic Botany, 



