INTRODUCTION. 



THE " First Book of Botany," published in 1870, was 

 prepared as a contribution to better methods in object- 

 teaching. It was not designed as a text-book of Botany ; 

 but plants were chosen as objects of study, because they 

 offer special and unequaled advantages for training in ob- 

 servation. It provided that the whole work of the learner 

 should be upon his specimens; that he should find out and 

 record the plant-characters for himself, and thus get im- 

 portant practice in self-education. 



But it was soon seen that, in thus cultivating the ob- 

 serving powers, we were laying the true foundation for a 

 jeal knowledge of Botanical Science ; and the desire was 

 often expressed that this method of studying plants should 

 be carried out more fully. Accordingly, the " Second Book 

 of Botany" was prepared upon the same plan. It has, 

 however, been found desirable, for the sake of beginners 

 in the science who are too old for primary lessons, that 

 the abridged contents of the " First Book " should be pre- 

 fixed to the " Second Book," and also that completeness 

 as a Descriptive Botany should be given to the work, by 

 adding to it a popular Flora. In thus combining the exer- 

 cises of the former volumes, they have not been materially 

 changed. They provide for the direct study of all those 

 features of plants which are used in classification, and 

 illustrate by practical examples the use to be made of 

 these observations in systematic botany. The ideas given 

 in those works, concerning the value of this study in men- 

 tal training, are therefore equally applicable here. 



