VI PKKFAVE. 



Fuchsia, and of various tissues of Echinocystis ; 

 Professor H. L. Smith, of Hobart College, New 

 York, contributed the sketch of the classification of 

 the Diatomaceie ; Dr. T. F. Allen furnished a synop- 

 sis of the classih'cation of the Characese ; Dr. B. D. 

 Halsted also furnished material and notes upon our 

 native species of Characese ; my colleague, Professor 

 W. H. Wynn, kindly determined some of the more 

 difficult etymologies ; to my wife I am deeply in- 

 debted for efficient aid in the laborious tasks of 

 proof-reading and indexing. 



Should this book serve to interest the student in 

 the study of plants as living things, should it succeed 

 in directing him rather to the plants themselves than 

 to the books which have been written about them, 

 should it contribute somewhat to the general read- 

 er s knowledge of the structure and relationship of 

 the plants around him, the objects kept in view in its 

 preparation will have been attained. 



C. E. 13. 



BOTANICAL LABORATOKY, i 

 IOWA AGRICULTURAL COLLEGE,)" 

 AMES, IOWA, April 12, 1880. 



PKEFACE TO SECOND EDITION. 



In this edition a few errors which had escaped detection 

 in the first issue have been corrected, and several minor 

 changes in the text have been made, which the lapse of a 

 year and a half since the manuscript left my hands rendered 

 necessary. 



C. E. B. 



May 21, 1881. 



