THE LIFE AND GROWTH OF SEEDLINGS 3 



becomes the dominant plant. Trees even supplant each other. 

 Warming states that in Denmark the oak has been replaced by 

 the beech, whilst in West Jutland it is able to hold its own. 



It will be clear from what has been said that the study of 

 plant life is abundantly fascinating. Every one with even a 

 small garden can watch the spread of a given plant, or the adapta- 

 tion of structure, or the growth of seedlings. Even without a 

 garden a great deal can be done with window boxes, with seeds in 

 saucers, or in glass jam jars. 



The habit of observing Nature brings with it its own delight, 

 and, once begun, is not likely to be given up ; but the importance 

 of a real, first-hand knowledge of Nature cannot be exaggerated 

 in the case of those engaged in what is popularly called " Nature 

 Study/' The main object of Nature Study should be to develop 

 the mental faculties of observation and reasoning. This cannot 

 be done satisfactorily except by those teachers who are always 

 finding out things for themselves, and constantly experimenting 

 in one way or another, either repeating the experiments of others, 

 or, still better, devising new ones, however small, for themselves. 

 For this reason, constant reference will be made in this section to 

 new work both in America and in Europe, and a bibliography 

 will be given, in which the more recent botanical literature will 

 be mentioned. Laboratory experiments are valuable, and in 

 towns may be the only ones possible, but those who live in the 

 country should be content with nothing less than observing 

 Nature accurately and, like Gilbert White of Selborne, sympathetic- 

 ally and reverently. 



In planning a course of lessons in Nature Study, it is important 

 to be systematic. There should be one main thought under- 

 lying the course, just as there ought to be in a well- written 

 biography. Nature Study courses not seldom resemble those 

 biographies which are hastily compounded of newspaper articles, 

 or letters from friends, strung together without any leading idea, 

 as far as one can see, to form a bond of union. A course on 

 Plant Life might have for its basis the adaptation of structure 

 to function, or the manifestations of vitality common to both 

 plants and animals. In this section, these are the root-ideas under- 

 lying the various experiments given and the facts of structure 



