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some teachers seem to consider it practically im.possible. In its 

 place they tr\- to construct a course or series of topics which, 

 though vital and necessan,^ in the eyes of the teacher, either have 

 to be forced upon their pupils or given to them camouflaged with 

 all sorts of more or less interesting appendages. And what is the 

 result? The pupils dislike it; they get ven,- little good from the 

 work; the subject becomes unpopular, and finally it has to fight 

 for its very existence. And the whole trouble has been started 

 b^' its friends. 



In most of our high schools where a regular course in botany 

 is given, we find the following methods in vogue: Some tr^^ to 

 follow the order of nature. They start with seeds and seedlings 

 and working their way through roots, stems, leaves, flowers, 

 fruit, wind up with a little on forestry-. In other schools the 

 start is with made soil composition and chemistry-. In others 

 the parts of the plant receive only enough attention to furnish 

 the structural basis for teaching the vital processes. In other 

 schools little or no time is spent upon botany as such ; but most 

 of it is occupied with foods and nutrition, bacteria, sanitation 

 and kindred subjects. 



In contrast with the above my idea would be to include most of 

 the foregoing topics, but to utilize them by linking them up with 

 the most accessible and obvious botanical object the pupils meet 

 with in their daily lives. Let that object be a tree or shrub or 

 even a potted plant in the class room; but by all means let it be 

 some tangible concrete object, some plant whole, something 

 that they can see, something that they can examine and some- 

 thing that they can watch grow. Let them give it a name, its 

 correct botanical name. There is nothing like a name to give a 

 thing individuality. Let them consider it a member of a class, 

 — a non-resident member if need be — but a member just the 

 same. 



If the pupils are fortunate enough to be raising a war garden, 

 then let that be the center or nucleus upon which their botanical 

 work is based. Children of the first-year high school age are 

 ver>' practical and matter-of-fact in many ways, and while it is 

 sometimes a hard job to get them interested in plants in general, 



