There is 110 need to labor the point. These questions are mo- 

 mentous, economically, socially, personally. The opportunity for 

 doing something about them and the responsibility of doing something 

 about them rest on the people who have any relation whatever to 

 plants. That is all of us. 



But, we must first know precisely what each problem is, and, to the 

 best of present scientific knowledge, what to do. This is in part a task 

 in education, and on those teachers and teachers-to-be, who are con- 

 cerned with both the natural and social sciences, falls a large share of 

 the burden in saving a civilization from the sure decline which must 

 follow resource destruction. At least the attempt to save it must be 

 made. Otherwise, w r hy teach? 



What benefit is it to know a pistil from a stamen if one day there 

 are no pistils or stamens? 



When we employ a man we want to know quite a lot about him : 

 his name, race, habits, family background. Those things may influ- 

 ence his fitness for the service we want from him. But, most im- 

 portant, we want to know what he can do. Similarly with plants. 

 Their structure, internal processes, name, and classification are perti- 

 nent information for certain purposes. But, the great question is : 

 what can they do for us? And, how can we get them to do it? 



We certainly do not want to be like the tradition bound Chinese, 

 who (as that former Chief of the U. S. Biological Survey, J. N. 

 Darling, put its) spent so much time worshiping the family tree, 

 talking about the family tree, studying the family tree, that they let 

 their country go to pot unnoticed. 



If we are going to inquire into the nature of plants, then by all 

 means let us go all the way and see how they enter into the great, 

 intricately geared machine of soil, water, sunshine, air, men, jobs, 

 health, prosperity and happiness. 



TO SUM UP 



The purposes of this book are : 



(1) To establish plants en masse as a much neglected and exceed- 

 ingly important factor in the welfare of man. 



(2) To identify the social and personal problems arising from 

 deficiencies in the quantity and quality of vegetation. 



(3) To reach an understanding of the complex maze of relation- 

 ships found in the landscape, and how they have developed. 



(4) To set forth the principles of landscape management or en- 

 vironmental engineering by which man can ease many of his 

 troubles and avoid others. 



(5) To suggest how the younger generation may be made aware 

 of the great part vegetation will play, for good or evil, in its 

 life. 



xiv 



