NATURE-STUDY WITH PLANTS 49 



falling of the leaves, germination, seed dispersal, 

 pollination (for older pupils), injuries of various 

 kinds (as by snow, ice, wind, sun-scalding, drought, 

 insects, fungi, browsing by cattle) , simple physio- 

 logical experiments. In winter, studies may be 

 made of the forms of trees and bushes and 

 of persisting weeds, leaf-buds and fruit-buds, bark 

 forms, preparation for spring, tubers and bulbs, 

 seed-sowing and germination, struggle for existence 

 in the tree-top, evergreens and how they shed 

 their leaves, how the different kinds of trees hold 

 the snow, where the herbs and tender things are, 

 cones and seed pods, apples and turnips and other 

 things from the cellar, knots and knot-holes, how 

 vines hold to their supports, and others. These 

 subjects are intended only as the merest suggestions 

 of the kind of work that may be taken up with 

 profit. As far as possible, the study of form and 

 function should go together. Correlate what a 

 part is with what it does. What is this part ? 

 What is its office, or how did it come to be ? It 

 were a pity to teach phyllotaxy without teaching 

 light-relation : it were an equal pity to teach 

 light-relation without teaching phyllotaxy. 



There are those who discourage the teaching 

 of plant societies until the pupil is well grounded 

 in "physiology" ; but this, again, is the science- 

 teaching point of view and it may be the correct 

 point of view for college work. Of course the 

 child cannot understand the fundamental reasons 

 for plant association I wonder whether the 

 botanist does ? but the child can comprehend the 



