88 



THE MUSEUM 



and vegetable matter was composed of 

 cells was first discovered in 1838. 

 Since that time all our knowledge of 

 tissue, growth, reproduction, and mat- 

 abolism in plants has been discovered. 

 In America Botany has not been a 

 study ail these years. The classic 

 books of Asa Gray really made the 

 tudy a science for American students, 

 and the great numbers of them yet in 

 use testify to the popularity of the 

 books and the study. In the last ten 

 years a great change has tak9n place. 

 The laboratory largely takes the place 

 of the field, and the microscope has 

 displaced the plant press. The high- 

 er institutions of learning could readily 

 adapt themselves to new methods to 

 correspond with later discoveries. But 

 to reach the high school requires more 

 time. Yet at the present time the 

 change is quite complete. The little 

 volume of Spalding is witness to this 

 fact and the wide circulation it at once 

 received is evidence of the value Amer- 

 ican teachers put upon laboratory, 

 class and library work combined in 

 the study of Botany. The next year 

 after the publication of the work men- 

 tioned, Bergen's Text-book of Botany 

 appeared, which was at once given a 

 heartv reception and a wide sale, and 

 introduced the subject in a new way. 

 But how will all this applj' our non- 

 resident workers.'' It is taken for 

 granted they have no one to give class- 

 room instruction, and are obliged to 

 work out the subject alone. What 

 they need is some books to point out 

 lines of observation and investigation. 

 They have abundant material before 

 them, can with little difficulty work 

 out many interesting and important 

 problems, and can cultivate habits of 

 accurate observation as well as secure 

 abundant material upon which to phil- 

 osophize and reflect. With a proper 

 guide to direct the worker in right 

 channels, the non-resident may have 

 very satisfactory results. He will 

 need some materiaL but much of it is 

 at hand. While a microscope may be 

 called a necessity, much good work 



may be done without it. It is to be- 

 bourne in mind, however, that Botany 

 is a study of plants, and not of books 

 and pictures. It does not mean mem- 

 orizing terms or writing long and 

 meaningless descriptions on blanks 

 with spaces to be filled in. It does 

 not mean reading effusions on the bot- 

 any of color. It does not mean roam- 

 ing through fields, plucking bouquets, 

 nor collecting to see how many kinds 

 may be had. It means the study by 

 direct observation of the morphology 

 and physiology of plants, their means 

 of propagation, protection and disper- 

 sal; the influence exerted on them by 

 their environment, the struggles they 

 have for existence, the forces within 

 them, the process of food manufact- 

 ure, and kindled subjects. After such 

 study the student understands what he 

 is doing when he takes up systematic 

 work, and a properly classified collec- 

 tion means something. 



The student must of necess-ity re- 

 cord his observations and results, or 

 they will become useless through be- 

 ing confused or lost. Permit an illus- 

 tration. Dr. William Trelease, Di- 

 rector of the Missouri Botanical Gar- 

 dens, at the recent meeting of the 

 Botanical Society of Ameiica. at Buf- 

 falo, N. Y. , gave an admirable address 

 on "Botanical Opportunitw" which is- 

 worthy of wide circulation. Next to 

 clear idea of the end aimed at he 

 would place the immediate making of 

 full and exact notes as their most es- 

 sential part. Referring to the noied 

 botanist. Dr. Engelmann, who was also- 

 a physician, and referring to the time 

 he arranged Dr. Engelmann's notes and 

 sketches, he says: 



"I was far more surprised at these 

 than I had been on collecting his print ■ 

 ed v\orks, for when mounied and 

 bound they form sixty large volumes. 

 In addition to their intrinsic value, 

 these are of more than usual interest 

 as showing the methodical manuer in 

 which Dr. Engelmann worked. On 

 his table seems to have been alwajs a. 

 bundle of plants awaiting study. As- 



