INTRODUCTION 



THE numerous questions which young people ask 

 about plants are best answered by themselves. No 

 other method gives vital knowledge so quickly and 

 satisfactorily; in no other way is a real grasp of the 

 subject obtained. To put them in the way of doing 

 this so far as possible is the object of this book. To 

 this end familiar plants have been chosen, familiar 

 utensils used in the construction of apparatus and 

 the conditions simplified as far as may be. The book 

 may be used by both teacher and pupil : the order 

 of topics may be followed or not, as seems best under 

 the circumstances. 



In order that the knowledge gained in the classroom 

 and out of it may be organized, notes should be kept: 

 but the note-taking should not be made a burden. 

 The following outline of work has been found suc- 

 cessful. 



1. THE QUESTION: this, it may be said, should be 

 a real one in which the class as a whole takes an inter- 

 est, not a formal affair in the nature of an imposed 

 task. 



(vii) 



