4 PREFACE 
thoroughly studied and recited, with the exception of Chapter 
III. on leaves. The object of this chapter is not to have the 
definitions recited (the recitation of definitions in school work 
is often useless or worse than useless), but to teach the pupil to 
use the terms properly and to make them a portion of his 
vocabulary. The figures on pages 38-43 are designed for 
class description, and for the application of botanical words. 
The first time the chapter is studied the figure illustrating the 
term should be pointed out by the pupil; then, as a review of 
the whole chapter, the student should be required to give a 
full description of each leaf. 
After this work with Chapter III., and the careful reading 
of the whole of Part I., the pupils can begin the description of 
trees, and, as the botanical words are needed, search can be 
made for them under the proper heads or in the Glossary. 
The Keys are for the use of those who know nothing of scien- 
tific botany. The advanced botanist may think them too arti- 
ficial and easy; but let him remember that this work was 
written for the average teacher who has had no strictly scien- 
tific training. We can hardly expect that the great majority 
of people will ever become scientific in any line, but it is pos- 
sible for nearly every one to become interested in and fully 
acquainted with the trees of his neighborhood. 
The attainment of such botanical knowledge by the plan given 
in this volume will not only accomplish this useful purpose, but 
will do what is worth far more to the student, i. e., teach him to 
employ his own senses in the investigation of natural objects, 
and to use his own powers of language in their description. 
With hardly an exception, the illustrations in the work are 
taken from original drawings from nature by the author. A 
few of the scales of pine-cones were copied from Loudon’s “ En- 
cyclopedia of Trees”; some of the Retinospora cones were taken 
from the ‘‘Gardener’s Chronicle”; and three of the illustrations 
in Part I. are from Professor Gray’s works. 
