INTRODUCTION. 



I. POINT OF VIEW. 



In preceding school work the student is expected to 

 have obtained some general notions as to what plants are, 

 and as to the way in which they are adjusted to environ- 

 ment in structure and habit. In the organization of a 

 more formal course in botany, it is believed that two pro- 

 minent facts should be kept in mind. First, structures 

 of plants are related and more or less perfectly adapted 

 to the two primary functions of nutrition and reproduction. 

 Second, there has been throughout the history of the 

 plant kingdom a gradual evolution of plants as their 

 structures have become progressively better adapted to the 

 two phases of plant work. In the general course in 

 botany plant structures are considered from the point of 

 view of what they have to do in nutrition and reproduc- 

 tion, and with reference to the general problem of evolu- 

 tion of the plant kingdom. In tracing out these two 

 lines of plant activity a considerable knowledge of in- 

 dividual plants and of the various groups of plants will 

 be obtained. 



The general course in botany should not be planned 

 primarily with the idea of training specialists in the sub- 

 ject, but should present those essential principles of plant 

 life that are adapted to the needs of the general student 



