iv INTRODUCTION TO BOTANY 



peculiar educational significance. To this end those aspects 

 of the plant world which touch human interests and activities 

 ought to receive particular attention. It is essential, also, that 

 the study be so shaped as to give the student a reasonable view 

 of the phenomena of life as embodied in plants, for the aver- 

 age pupil (who does not go to college) will never again have 

 so good an opportunity to learn about the simpler manifesta- 

 tions of life as is offered in his high-school course in botany. 

 It is believed by the authors that every high-school pupil 

 should be introduced to certain elementary and important facts 

 regarding the life processes and problems of living things, and 

 the first-hand study of plant life offers an especially favorable 

 means of presenting these elementary biological truths. 



The order of treatment here adopted is first to give a general 

 notion of the world-wide distribution and importance of plants ; 

 then to enable the pupil to see the whole plant as a working 

 machine; then to discuss more in detail the structure and work 

 of the higher plants, each region of which performs a definite 

 part of the work of the whole machine ; then very briefly to 

 present a general view of the great groups. Although through- 

 out the book the plants used as the basis of study are usually 

 those of common interest, a few of the most practical topics, 

 such as timber and forestry, weeds, plant breeding, and the 

 plant industries, are given separate treatment, with as much 

 detail as is possible in a brief course. The structure, functions, 

 and ecological relations of plants are presented throughout the 

 book in a synthetic manner. 



Questions pertaining to the interpretation and application of 

 different features of plant life are introduced in the text and 

 at the ends of chapters. Other similar questions raised by the 

 teacher will be found helpful in presenting problems that the 

 pupil should be able to solve in connection with his studies. 

 Such problems help to develop the constant attitude of inquiry 

 which science attempts to establish. 



