4 STATE HOETICULTUEAL SOCIETY 



Thallophvtes from that followed by the systematic botanist, who 

 usually begins with the Alg* and then places the degraded forms 

 called Fungi, after the orders to which they are allied. I have 

 given more prominence to their functional differences than to 

 their structural arrangement, and have placed these parasitic 

 and saprophytic plants first, because they do not contain chloro- 

 phyll and are unable to convert dioxide of carbon into starch 

 under the action of sunlight, which substance enters so largely 

 into the composition of the cell structures in higher plants, but 

 must secure this organized matter for growth and development 

 from living or dead plants and animals. This order of arrange- 

 ment does not take into account any theory of evolution or degra- 

 dation, but is for the convenience of the student who studies 

 plants only from an economic standpoint, to have those of a sim- 

 ilar habit grouped near each other. We have placed the slime 

 moulds first, though they are not the least in size, but are cer- 

 tainly low in the scale of organized matter. Botanists have often 

 been in doubt whether they belong to the animal or vegetable 

 kingdom. Next in order are the bacteria ; among these are some 

 of the smallest vegetable organism, but with a good microscope we 

 can find them in almost every substance. They live in animals 

 and plants, often causing troublesome diseases, which sometimes 

 prove fatal to the animal or plant attacked. They are in the air 

 we breathe, the water we drink, and the food we eat; they live 

 in us, on us, and about us everywhere. The smuts, rusts and 

 mushrooms are larger and more easily seen. Many of these are, 

 however, quite destructive to our crops and are of special interest 

 to the farmer. "What are called Imperfect Fungi are not de- 

 fective in themselves, but are healthy, active organisms, as every 

 gardener knows, from the attacks they make on his plants. Leaf 

 spot on roses, beets and beans, scab on apples, rot in tomatoes, 

 and mildews, are common in the orchard and garden. Their life 

 histories have not been as thoroughly studied as some of the other 

 classes. After the Fungi come the Algae. Some of the smaller 

 species of this group can swim as gracefully as a fish. People 

 who have always considered a plant to be something with roots, 

 stem and leaves, that grows out of the ground, will be surprised 

 when they see the gyrations of some of these minute organisms. 

 We have placed the lichens at the end of the group for they 



