APPENDIX. 



1. MATERIAL FOR LABORATORY USE. 



The labor involved in conducting a class in the practical 

 laboratory study of Botany is much diminished by a little 

 care and forethought. Material for study cannot gener- 

 ally be found in nature when wanted in sufficient abun- 

 dance and variety for satisfactory work ; it should be 

 sought at the proper seasons of the year and should be 

 preserved for future use. As a rule, the cheapest and 

 best preservative is formalin (formic aldehyde) ; alcohol of 

 from 70 to 90 per cent strength may be used. The life 

 histories of plants cannot be fully studied at any time 

 during the year without the help of such material. In 

 many cases it costs little more time and trouble, when 

 plants in suitable condition have been found, to secure a 

 supply sufficient for two or three years. This stock 

 should be used to supplement the plants that can be 

 obtained in the fresh state at the time the study is made. 



The lower microscopic forms should be cultivated in 

 the laboratory. The process is very simple, and a reason- 

 able amount of care will furnish abundant material. The 

 only apparatus necessary is a supply of jars or large bot- 

 tles the larger the better, but small ones will do and 

 plates of ground glass or ordinary window glass to cover 

 them and prevent too rapid evaporation of the water. 

 The mode of procedure is to place in these jars gather- 

 ings from different localities, cover with plates of glass, 

 put in warm places and, in most cases, in fairly strong 

 CLARK'S EOT. 17 267 



