14 INTRODUCTION. 



METHOD OF STUDYING BOTANY. 



Botany must be learnt more from plants than from books, 

 and is so easy that it begins to amuse us directly we commence 

 the study of it, if this be done in a proper way. It has been 

 already observed, that the different parts of plants have different 

 names, according to their shape, situation, or uses ; and also 

 that from the form, number, &c., of these parts, plants are 

 arranged in classes, orders, and families. Supposing the 

 young student has carefully read over the foregoing remarks on 

 the structure of plants, and on the arranging of them according 

 to the system just explained, he may at once try to find the 

 name of any common wild flower he meets with ; and this will 

 be very easy if he proceed as follows : First look to the sta- 

 mens to see what class it belongs to ; then to the styles to 

 know its order. Now turn to the proper page where that class 

 and order are described, and comparing the unknown plant with 

 the various genera which belong to that order, he will see with 

 which it agrees, and thus learn its generic or family name ; then, 

 looking to the page where the different species are described, 

 the plant will be found to agree with only one of them, which 

 will therefore show its specific or particular name. The figure 

 may now be referred to, and if this, as well as the whole of the 

 descriptiou given of the species, should be found to agree with 

 the plant itself, it is a proof of the correctness of the exami- 

 nation, and the name is discovered. 



Suppose, for example, we have an unknown flower, which 

 from having ten stamens is found to be of the class DECAN- 

 DRIA ; also, having five styles, it is referred to the order 

 PENTAGYNIA. Turning to the page where this class and order 

 are described, we find that it is in two divisions ; the calyx of 

 our plant being of one leaf it is seen to be of the first of these ; 

 and as its petals are cleft at the top it is known at once to be of 

 the genus Catctyy, To find the species we must refer to a page 



