TEACHERS' SCHOOL OF SCIENCE. 



641 



preparatory nature, including morphological, structural, and physio- 

 logical botany. 



The introductory lesson dealt with the relation of botany to its 

 various subdivisions and to other studies. The meaning of mor- 

 phology was illustrated by 

 comparing the four plant 

 members root, stem, leaf, 

 and plant hair with the 

 different plant organs, and 

 a practical exercise, with 

 specimens whose parts were 

 sketched and labeled, was 

 given to show that the posi- 

 tion and mode of develop- 

 ment of a part determine its 

 rank as a member or struc- 

 tural division, while its func- 

 tion may give it quite a dif- 

 ferent rank as an organ. 



A preliminary view of 

 vegetable histology, consid- 

 ering the shape, wall, mark- 

 ings in the wall, and con- 

 tents of cells, was next 

 given. This was followed by lessons on vegetable physiology, in 

 which the absorption of liquids and gases for the making of food, 

 assimilation, transfer and storage of food, the growth of cells and 

 tissues, the excretion of waste products, special kinds of work, as 

 climbing, catching of insects, etc., reproduction, and the process of 

 metabolism as illustrated in cells, were treated of first in a general 

 way and then elaborated upon in the succeeding lessons. Much time 

 was devoted to the anatomy, histology, and germination of seeds 

 and to the structure and function of root, stem, and leaf. The mor- 

 phology of fruits and their anatomical classification (profusely illus- 

 trated from the fruits of the market and neighboring fields), with 

 a discussion of the contrivances for dissemination of fruits and seeds, 

 furnished subject-matter for both a profitable and interesting lesson. 



The last lessons of this set were devoted to the study of the 

 flower and its parts, particularly stamens and pistils, and ended with 

 an explanation of the processes of pollination and fertilization. The 

 work of making vertical and horizontal plans of the flower served 

 as an introduction for the second year's course on Systematic Bot- 

 any, wherein the relations between the common families of flower- 

 ing plants were shown. This course was illustrated by numerous 



VOL. LV. 45 



ROBERT W. GREEJTLEAF. 



