PREFACE TO THE ENGLISH EDITION. 



This translation of Professor Goebel's book is a natural sequel to those of 

 previous editions of Professor Sachs' standard Text-book which have issued from 

 the Clarendon Press. 



The attempt to make use of a consistent terminology based upon homology, 

 which is a prominent feature in the book, adds considerably to its value from 

 an educational standpoint, and to obviate as much as possible any difficulties that 

 may arise from the modification of the terminology adopted in previous editions 

 an ' Explanation of Terms ' is given at the end of the volume. It must be borne 

 in mind that the definitions there offered are not exhaustive but have reference 

 to the terms as used in the text. The abandonment of the use of the term 

 * spore " in the limited sense introduced by Professor Sachs is of sufficient importance 

 to be noted here. 



Some of the results of work, supplementing or modifying the statements in the 

 text and published since the appearance of the German Edition, are referred to in 

 foot-notes, and there have also been added citations of some of the more important 

 literature of the past two or three years. There is, however, no pretension to 

 completeness in either respect. No reference is made to Sachs' Vorlesungen iiber 

 Pflanzenphysiologie — a translation of which is in the press — or to Van Tieghera's 

 Traits de Botanique, as these are books which should be in the hands of every 

 botanical student. 



In deciding upon innovations which will be found in some of the English 

 equivalents for German technical terms, I have to acknowledge the benefit of the 

 counsel of several friends, amongst whom I may mention, Professor F. Orpen 

 Bower, Professor Alexander Dickson, Mr. W. T. Thiselton Dyer, Dr. S. H. Vines 

 and Professor H. Marshall Ward. 



B. B. 



Botanic Garden, Oxford : 

 September, 1885. 





