of such a trip will depend principally upon the skill and the 

 enthusiasm of the teacher. 



It is not probable that any school will care to use all of the 

 exercises presented herewith. In some cases definite alternatives 

 have been suggested. In other cases traditional exercises have 

 been retained because under some circumstances they are valu- 

 able. Thus the exercises involving rather careful microscopic 

 study of the morphology of the higher plants will undoubtedly 

 be omitted by most schools, but some schools may find them 

 useful. 



Examination of the apparatus list published herewith will 

 indicate that expensive equipment is not essential, and it will 

 be found that most of the items will be available for use in 

 other science courses as well. The principal item of expense, 

 microscopes, may be eliminated if necessary, but every school 

 ought to possess at least one instrument. In many cases a good 

 microprojection outfit will be found more satisfactory than a full 

 equipment of microscopes. While extreme economy is justified 

 on the part of schools with very limited resources, there is no 

 point at which the proper expenditure of funds makes for effi- 

 ciency and economy to a greater extent than in the provision 

 of proper laboratory equipment. Such equipment releases the 

 teacher from an enormous amount of detail work and enables 

 him to concentrate his attention upon the needs of the children 

 instead of compelling him to give the major part of his time to 

 the mere mechanics of instruction. 



The author wishes to express his deep indebtedness both to 

 the literature of botany and of botanical education and to his 

 instructors, colleagues, and pupils who together have made this 

 work possible. Particularly does he gratefully acknowledge the 

 instruction, advice, and inspiration received from Dr. Otis W. 

 C aid well, to whose encouragement is largely due both the 

 inception and the completion of this volume. 



W. L. E. 



[vi] 



