20 INTRODUCTION 



affect our lives very much, both helpfully and harmfully. 

 Some knowledge of them is highly important to enable us 

 to avoid disease. 



c. Because knowledge of plants may increase our en- 

 joyment of beauty. This applies especially to the decora- 

 tion of our homes. Knowledge about lawns and shade 

 trees, shrubs and garden flowers, is almost sure to be of 

 service to any one sooner or later. 



d. Because in the study of plants we come to a better 

 understanding of life as a whole. We find that .the life of 

 plants is in many respects like our own. We observe the 

 working of laws which control our lives as well as theirs. 

 We learn of facts which indicate that all life is constantly 

 changing and being modified by new conditions. Plant 

 behavior throws direct light upon what our own behavior 

 should be. 



e. Because (and this is very important) in the study of 

 plants you may study the subject itself, and not merely 

 what some one else has written about the subject in a book. 

 This means that you must observe closely and do some 

 reasoning for yourself. You cannot get your lessons 

 about plants properly by memory alone, or by using some 

 one else's formula in order to solve the problems. This 

 method of study is not very important if you use it only 

 to study plants, but it is very important and very valuable 

 if you use it in solving many of the serious questions of 

 life. It is called the scientific method. 



These five reasons are by no means all the good reasons 

 for studying plants. Very likely you can think of others 

 for yourself; perhaps others may interest you more than 

 these. If so, they are more important to you at present 

 than the five which have been given. The important 



