The Microscope. 197 



6. There is plenty of literatui'e on the subject for reference. 



The first one of the above points is an important one, as the major- 

 ity of amateurs have simple stands and low powers. It is also much 

 easier to work with low powers, as less time, patience and skill is 

 required than high objectives with wide angles demand. The com- 

 parative cheapness of the outfit is also an item with many amateurs. 

 A range of powers from 3 to 375 diameters can be obtained with two 

 or three simple microscopes magnifying from 3 to 15 diameters and 

 a good stand supplied with a 1-inch and a 2-inch ocular and a bat- 

 tery of objectives consisting of a three-inch, three-fourths-inch and 

 one one-fourth inch. Such an outfit will enable a person to perform 

 valuable and interesting work. The simplicity of vegetable stnic- 

 ture and the magnitude of the cells render such a range of powers 

 useful. The cells average from „ J-„ to -j^-^ of an inch in diameter, 

 although there are also much larger as well as smaller ■ cells. The 

 cells in vegetable tissues are not only larger than those composing 

 animal organisms, but in the former tissue we have to deal mostly 

 with the walls of large cells, while complex cell contents perplex the 

 animal histologist. 



The second point requires but little explanation, as every one 

 knows how plentiful vegetable matter is, and any person who takes 

 the trouble can easily discover the rich variety of structures formed 

 by the different relative arrangement in the plant of the two princi- 

 pal kinds of tissue, the parenchymatous and the prorenchymatous. 

 However, we were not long ago surprised by a microscopist (one of 

 the animal histologists) who had just "discovered " that the stem of 

 a plant has differentiation of structure and that a plant can be iden- 

 tified from the transverse section. 



In explanation of the third point we call attention to the thousands 

 of pollens, seeds and trichomes that require no preparation for exam- 

 ination. It is also much easier to make sections of pith, wood, bark 

 and leaves than of animal tissue. Nor is there anything repulsive to 

 the most fastidious about the work, while animal matter is frequently 

 so, at least to those who work as amateurs. 



The fourth point will be appreciated by the majority of amateurs, 

 as they frequently derive much of their pleasure from the entertain- 

 ment of friends. 



The fifth point will soon become apparent to the person who 

 devotes a few months to work with vegetable matter. 



The sixth point can be verified by reference to numerous foreign 

 publications and the following among the English ones devoted to 

 microscopy : 



