X Introduction 



Plants can be brought to the schoolroom and studied in 

 window-boxes. It is not enough to see the plants through the 

 stage of germination merely ; they should be watched until 

 their life story has been told. 



With the generous aid of the Education Department, it 

 is possible to add each year some simple, well-constructed 

 apparatus as a means of increasing interest in the work. It is 

 poor economy to use implements so crude as to give inexact 

 and unsatisfactory results, when, for a slight outlay, the correct- 

 ness and consequent value of an experiment may be insured. 

 Glass jars, flasks with rubber stoppers, retort stands, porous 

 flower-pots of various sizes, wire, thread, scissors, cork-borers, 

 glass and rubber tubing, U-tubes, glass funnels, and thermo- 

 meters are indispensable. 



Valuable suggestions may be obtained from Prof. Atkinson's 

 "First Studies of Plant Life," from the "Elementary Text- 

 book," by Prof. L. H. Bailey, and the accompanying Lessons, 

 the Plant Physiologies of Darwin and Acton, MacDougal, 

 Ganong, and Cavers. " The Teaching Botanist," by Ganong, 

 Miss Johnson's "Text-Book of Botany," and "Plant Geo- 

 graphy," by Schimper, are excellent books. " Flowering Plants 

 and Ferns," by J. C. Willis, of the Cambridge Biological Series, 

 is a valuable guide in the study of morphology, geographical and 

 economic botany. To this list may be added Maud Going's 

 charmingly written books, "With the Trees" and "With the 

 Wild Flowers ". 



My thanks are due to the generous advice and assistance 

 rendered by Dr. Marloth, Dr. MacOwan, Dr. Bolus, and the 

 Rev. Dr. Kolbe. 



> It is also a pleasure to express my deep indebtedness to 

 my present and former students who have kindly assisted me 

 in illustrating the book, in particular to Miss Lucette Creux 



