AUTHOR'S PREFACE. 



This Text-book of Botany is intended to introduce the student to the 

 present state of our knowledge of botanical science. Its purpose is not only 

 to describe the phenomena of plant-life which are already accurately known, but 

 also to indicate those theories and problems in which botanical research is at 

 present especially engaged; the arrangement of the material and the mode of 

 treatment of the separate subjects are adapted to this purpose. Detailed dis- 

 cussions of questions of minor importance have been avoided, as these would 

 only mar clearness of outline in the design ; critical remarks have been intro- 

 duced occasionally where they seemed necessary, in order to determine facts, or 

 to justify the views taken on matters of fundamental importance. 



The historical development of botanical views and theories does not seem 

 to come within the scope of a Text-book of Botany, and would only interfere 

 with the unity of design of the work. It would therefore be superfluous to 

 quote scientific works which have only a historical interest. In the references 

 which will be found in the work the chief object has been to introduce the 

 student to those writings in which he will find a fuller discussion of those parts 

 of the subject which have been only touched on briefly. In some cases the 

 writings of others have been quoted because they represent views different from 

 those of the author, and because it is desirable to place the student in a posi- 

 tion to form a judgment for himself. Others again of the references are simply 

 for the purpose of citing the authorities on which reliance is placed for state- 

 ments that have not come within the range of the author's own observation. 

 The reader of this work will at least learn the names and standing of those 

 workers who have in recent times contributed most essentially to the science 

 of which it treats. 



By far the greater number of the illustrations are original, many of them 

 the result of laborious investigation. Where they have been copied the name of 

 the author from whom they are borrowed is in each case given in the descrip- 

 tion; illustrations from other sources are used only when the objects themselves 

 have not been accessible, or when it seemed impossible to obtain better ones. 



The Table of Contents will give sufficient indication of the plan of the 

 work; the Index should be consulted for references to other parts of the book 

 where an explanation of technical terms will be found when their meaning does 

 not appear in any particular passage. 



