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that all the exercises are as equally useful in the city as in the 
country, but they are in number sufficient to allow for the 
selection of an ample year's course in either situation. 
There is another reason why a course designed to correlate 
theoretical and applied plant study is very timely. The majority 
of high school pupils who enroll do not finish half the high school 
course, much less enter college. The purely theoretical course 
in botany, along the lines laid down by the college entrance 
committee, has little more than a slight disciplinary value for the 
ordinary high school pupil. A high school course in botany 
which is designed mainly to prepare for college requirements is 
in the same class with the high school Latin work which is or used 
to be designed to prepare the student eventually to enjoy reading 
classical Roman literature in the mother tongue. 
Botany for botany's sake is no longer an issue for the high school 
curriculum. Mr. Payne's text represents a step in the direction 
of a practical course for high school pupils. The value of the 
entire course as outlined can be determined only by actual use, 
but, it may be stated, much of it has already proved its value 
in first year high school work. 
With respect to other criticisms which Dr. Gager has made 
which have to do mainly with details of accuracy and complete- 
ness, many of them are probably justified but even some of these 
are more or less excusable as inherent in the plan of the book. 
The book consists almost entirely of exercises directing the 
pupil's observation and requiring some constructive thought on 
his part in carrying them out. The exercises cover, in the 
course of the book, the entire field of botany, the arrangement of 
matter being in general like that in most elementary texts. 
Scattered along in connection with the exercises are occasional 
brief notes which constitute the didactic matter of the book. 
The information given in these is such as could not possibly be 
learned by the inquiries of the pupil. The teacher is thus 
afforded full opportunity to lead the pupil to derive for himself 
the conclusions and generalizations proper to each exercise. 
The few definitions given are such as the pupil might be led to 
construct from the work done, and which he can entirely com- 
