12 ELEMENTS OF PLANT BIOLOGY 



seed plant closes with the woody stem. Finally, 

 the flower, fruit, seed and seedling are dealt with 

 in order, thus completing the sketch of the structure, 

 economy and life history of the seed plant. 



Throughout the book the effort has been made 

 to treat the material from the point of view of general 

 biology rather than with the narrower outlook of 

 pure botany. 



The schedules of practical work follow pretty 

 closely those in use in the Cambridge course ; in a 

 few cases alternative material is suggested. Though 

 it is not suggested that the selection of material 

 cannot be improved, nor to be supposed that any 

 teacher will desire to follow the schedules in every 

 detail, it was thought that the interests of teachers and 

 students would best be served by presenting a perfectly 

 definite selection of material which has been proved 

 by experience to be workable and instructive. Section 

 B on p. 34 and (7) on p. 47 were suggested to me by 

 Dr. M. C. Rayner. 



The practical work suggested at the end of each 

 chapter occupies from 2 to 2| hours. It is not con- 

 templated that the students should cut their own 

 sections in that time. It is found by experience 

 that so large a proportion of the time available in a 

 short course is spent in learning to cut sections, and 

 the sections cut are often so inferior, that the 

 result is wholly unsatisfactory. Much better results 

 are obtained by providing students with good 

 sections and then insisting that they shall examine 

 and draw them properly. It is not of course suggested 

 that it is not good for students to do as much of the 

 necessary manipulation of their material as possible, 

 but the particular technique of cutting hand-sections 



