RELATIVES OF THE HERB ROBERT 137 
A certain amount can be recorded about Growth, 
but it should be confined strictly to what can be seen 
with the naked eye, aided and abetted by the pocket 
lens, until the student has learnt a little about 
vegetable anatomy, and knows how to prepare his 
sections and to understand them when using a micro- 
scope : he will then find a world of unimagined beauty 
and interest awaiting exploration. But occupation 
of this sort is hard work for which some training is 
essential ; it can hardly be called recreation even by 
the keenest enthusiast, unless he happens to be one of 
those terribly energetic persons whose idea of a 
holiday is to work harder than ever, but at something 
else. 
The fifth factor, Rest, is much more promising. 
There is a great deal to be learnt about the resting 
period of our wild plants and their seeds. 
Some at any rate of the desired knowledge would 
not be difficult to acquire, given the necessary time 
and material, and it would be well within the reach 
of the hobby-rider, although he would soon discover 
that, as with everything else, there are unexpected 
difficulties to be overcome and pitfalls to be avoided. 
The other three factors, Protection, Reproduction 
and the Care of the Children afford an absolutely 
limitless scope, including what is easy, difficult, very 
difficult and altogether impossible within the capabi- 
lities and lifetime of one human being. The Nature- 
student, whether he lives in the country or at the 
East-end of London, need never be dull or in the 
position of having nothing to do so long as he is 
possessed of a few seeds and flower-pots, some soil, 
some water and a window-ledge that gets a little 
sunshine. 
