FIRST LESSONS 



IN 



BOTANY AND VEGETABLE PHYSIOLOGY. 



LESSON I. 



BOTANY AS A BRANCH OF NATURAL HISTORY. 



1. THE subjects of Natural History are, the earth itself and the 

 beings that live upon it. 



2. The Inorganic World, or Mineral Kingdom, 'The earth itself, with; 



the air that surrounds it, and all things naturally belonging to them 

 which are destitute of life, make up the mineral kingdom, or in- 

 organic world. These are called inorganic, or unorganized, because 

 they are not composed of organs, that is, of parts which answer to 

 one another, and make up a whole, such as is a horse, a bird, or a 

 plant. They were formed, but they did not grow, nor proceed from 

 previous bodies like themselves, nor have they the power of pro- 

 ducing other similar bodies, that is, of reproducing their kind. On 

 the other hand, the various living things, or those which have pos- 

 sessed life, compose 



3. The Organic World, the world of organized beings. These 

 consist of organs ; of parts which go to make up an individual, a 

 being. And each individual owes its existence to a preceding one 

 like itself, that is, to a parent. It was not merely formed, but 

 produced. At first small and imperfect, it grows and develops by 

 powers of its own ; it attains maturity, becomes old, and finally dies. 

 It was formed of inorganic or mineral matter, that is, of earth and 

 air, indeed ; but only of this matter under the influence of life : 

 and after life departs, sooner or later, it is decomposed into earth 

 and air again. 



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