CURRENT LITERATURE. 
BOOK REVIEWS. 
Botanical teaching. 
A ToPIc which is or should be of deep interest to professional botanists 
in our higher institutions is the nature and quality of the botanical instruction 
in the secondary schools. Many of them have shown their interest by per 
sonal endeavor to help teachers to improve the scope of their courses and 
secure proper equipment of laboratories for instruction, This endeavor's 
bearing fruit, and the rapid improvement in botanical teaching augurs well 
for future development. Besides the innumerable fugitive addresses 
teachers’ associations and institutes, several modern text-books and laboratory 
guides are helping along the good work. : 
Professor Ganong now contributes a book which will do much to asst q 
teachers to strengthen their botanical work. This book, The Teaching P 
Botanist, has a pedagogical purpose, as distinct from the texts and labor 
The first is made up 
they will become more widely efficient than heretofore. 
proclaimed the new gospel will be delighted to have this boo 
may refer teachers seeking such help. It will save reams 0 
hours of talk. 
If we may choose among the good things in this 
“What botany is of most worth,” “On things essentia 
teaching,” and “On some common errors prejudicial to good 
ing” are probably the most useful. But the suggestions On “ee 
description, on laboratories and their equipment, on collections, an 
are excellent and sure to be helpful. 
The second part consists of ‘‘an outline for a synt 
in the science of botany,” conforming to the sabre 
ivisi rst t 
part. This course consists of two divisions, the 5 of the larger 
k to which they 
£ letters and 
part, the essays OF 
hetic element’ argh 
s elucidated yexeal 
of plants. The course is divided into various topics with mer pupil 
tions and directions which might be put directly i : 
These are followed by notes regarding the materia 
on the pedagogical import of the various points called fon, focros® 
