CHAPTER IV 



HOW TO STUDY PLANT LIFE 



"How can I study plant life?" Confusing number of 

 books on the subject A simple beginning Best way 

 of learning meanings of technical terms A first les- 

 son in plant study Tall Buttercup Floral mechan- 

 ism of Kobin's Plantain List of abbreviations used 

 in notes Useful books for further study Attempt- 

 ing too much The botanical bore The interesting 

 botanist The use of English names. 



1 'How am I to study plant life*" "What 

 books should I buy?" "How may I learn 

 something beyond the names of the plants I 

 find?" 



These are the questions that every would-be 

 botanist asks, and years ago it would have been 

 easier to reply, as books suitable for amateurs 

 were few and far between. Nowadays the 

 market is flooded with botanical works of all 

 kinds, from elaborate and expensive Floras to 

 the chatty little "guides" that go so easily into 

 one's pocket. There are books on the haunts 



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