Botany for Agricultural Students 



CHAPTER I 

 THE NATURE OF BOTANY 



Botany is a branch of Biology. Biology includes all of the 

 sciences that deal with living things. Zoology, Bacteriology, 

 Human Anatomy and Physiology are some other biological 

 sciences that are familiar and closely related to Botany. 



The word botany comes from a Greek word, bosko, meaning, 

 11 1 eat.' Botany was originally the science of things good to eat, 

 and in its naming the fact was recognized that plants are the 

 source of our food. Of course at the present time Botany studies 

 all kinds of plants which include besides the many useful for 

 food, many useful as medicine, and many that are poisonous. 

 Botany is commonly defined as that science which treats of 

 plants. This definition is not entirely satisfactory because it 

 does not separate Botany from such agricultural subjects as 

 Horticulture, Forestry, and Farm Crops which also treat of 

 plants. 



Between Botany and those agricultural subjects which study 

 plants, there is no sharp division line. Much of the work in 

 these agricultural subjects is based upon the principles of Botany. 

 Such features as plant structures, plant functions, and relation 

 of functions to sunlight, air, soil, etc., which are studied in Botany, 

 are features of consideration in Horticulture, Forestry, and Farm 

 Crops. Although Botany and these agricultural subjects study 

 many plant features in common, the latter subjects differ from 

 Botany in studying only special groups of plants, and in limiting 

 the study to the practical and economic phases of plants. 



A plant may be studied in a number of different ways. It may 

 be considered in reference to structure, functions, and in relation 

 to other plants. Botany is divided into a number of subjects 

 which consider different phases of plant life. 



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