258 



Structures and habits of plants of different regions. 



Acquaintance with plants of the leading families in the local 

 region. 



Angiospermous forests (possibly delay the consideration of 

 gymnospermous forests until this point), the local timber supply 

 either from local forests or from others, enemies of the forests, 

 elementary forestry problems. United States, State, and local 

 private work in forestry. 



Relation of plants to soil, water, light, temperature, gravity, 

 and other environmental factors. Productive and unproductive 

 soils and climates in relation to agricultural plants. 



Diseases of plants and their significance. Artificial improve- 

 ment of plants through cultivation, pruning, grafting, selection, 

 and breeding. 



The minimum preparation in botany for high school teachers 

 of the subject was decided to be the equivalent of two years of 

 college work. This work should include the general morphology 

 of the lower and higher groups, elementary plant physiology and 

 ecology ; zoology, physiography, and a course in general bacteriol- 

 ogy are desirable. The teacher should also have some knowledge 

 of the purpose of botany in high school education and of current 

 and desirable practice in teaching botany. 



A porous clay cup for the automatic watering of plants is 

 described by L. A. Hawkins in the September Plant World. 

 Coleus plants were so grown for i8o days, and Vicia Faba plants 

 from the seed to the late flowering stage. A container which is 

 at least partially impervious was found to be better than the 

 usual flower pot when the automatic watering cup is used. The 

 plants were as vigorous as the control plants potted and watered 

 the usual way. The advantages of the automatic device are 

 that it maintains an approximately uniform soil moisture, and 

 affords a simple method of measuring "water requirement and 

 water loss of potted plants"; it also decreases the amount of 

 attention required by potted plants and avoids the evils of alter- 

 nately overwet and baked soil. 



