Botany, with Agricultural Applications 



CHAPTER I 

 THE NATURE OF BOTANY 



Centuries ago, even before the Christian Era, Botany was 

 studied. Originally Botany was the study of plants useful for 

 food, medicine, pasture, and fodder. In the original Greek, as 

 the Greek word botane, meaning grass-fodder, suggests, Botany 

 means the science of plants useful chiefly for food, thus empha- 

 sizing our dependence upon plants for food. A little more 

 than a century ago, Lamarck, a noted French scientist, intro- 

 duced the term Biology (bios = \ife and logos = discourse) as a 

 general term to include all subjects dealing with life. Botany 

 and Zoology are two of the principle branches of Biology. The 

 study of Botany now includes all kinds of plants. It includes 

 plants that are harmful, plants that are neither harmful nor 

 useful, as well as all kinds of useful plants. Botany is now 

 commonly defined as that biological science which deals with 

 plants. This definition, however, does not separate Botany 

 from such agricultural subjects as Horticulture, Forestry, and 

 Farm Crops, for they too treat of plants. 



Between Botany and those agricultural subjects which study 

 plants, there is no sharp division line. Much of the work in 

 these agricultural subjects is based upon the principles of Botany. 

 Such features as plant structures, plant functions, and relation 

 of functions to sunlight, air, soil, etc., which are studied in Botany, 

 are features of consideration in Horticulture, Forestry, and Farm 

 Crops. Although Botany and these agricultural subjects study 

 many plant features in common, the latter subjects differ from 

 Botany in studying only special groups of plants, and in limiting 

 the study to the practical and economic phases of plants. 



A plant may be studied in a number of different ways. It may 

 be considered in reference to structure, functions, and in relation 

 to other plants. Botany is divided into a number of subjects 

 which consider different phases of plant life. 



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