PREFACE. 



THE rapid advances made in the science of botany within 

 the last few years necessitate changes in the text books in 

 use as well as in methods of teaching. Having, in his own 

 experience as a teacher, felt the need of a book different from 

 any now in use, the author has prepared the present volume 

 with a hope that it may serve the purpose for which it is 

 intended ; viz., an introduction to the study of botany for use 

 in high schools especially, but sufficiently comprehensive to 

 serve also as a beginning book in most colleges. 



It does not pretend to be a complete treatise of the whole 

 science, and this, it is hoped, will be sufficient apology for the 

 absence from its pages of many important subjects, especially 

 physiological topics. It was found impracticable to compress 

 within the limits of a book of moderate size anything like a 

 thorough discussion of even the most important topics of all 

 the departments of botany. As a thorough understanding of 

 the structure of any organism forms the basis of all further 

 intelligent study of the same, it has seemed to the author 

 proper to emphasize this feature in the present work, which 

 is professedly an introduction, only, to the science. 



This structural work has been supplemented by so much 

 classification as will serve to make clear the relationships of 

 different groups, and the principles upon which the classifica- 

 tion is based, as well as enable the student to recognize the 

 commoner types of the different groups as they are met with. 

 The aim of this book is not, however, merely the identification 

 of plants. We wish here to enter a strong protest against the 



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