Iv INTRODUCTION TO BOTANY 
peculiar educational significance. To this end those aspects 
of the plant world which touch human interests and activities 
ought to receive particular attention. It is essential, also, that 
the study be so shaped as to give the student a reasonable view 
of the phenomena of life as embodied in plants, for the aver- 
age pupil (who does not go to college) will never again have 
so good an opportunity to learn about the simpler manifesta- 
tions of life as is offered in his high-school course in botany. 
It is believed by the authors that every high-school pupil 
should be introduced to certain elementary and important facts 
regarding the life processes and problems of living things, and 
the first-hand study of plant life offers an especially favorable 
means of presenting these elementary biological truths. 
The order of treatment here adopted is first to give a general 
notion of the world-wide distribution and importance of plants; 
then to enable the pupil to see the whole plant as a working 
machine; then to discuss more in detail the structure and work 
of the higher plants, each region of which performs a definite 
part of the work of the whole machine; then very briefly to 
present a general view of the great groups. Although through- 
out the book the plants used as the basis of study are usually 
those of common interest, a few of the most practical topics, 
such as timber and forestry, weeds, plant breeding, and the 
plant industries, are given separate treatment, with as much 
detail as is possible in a brief course. The structure, functions, 
and ecological relations of plants are presented throughout the 
book in a synthetic manner. 
(Questions pertaining to the interpretation and application of 
different features of plant life are introduced in the text and 
at the ends of chapters. Other similar questions raised by the 
teacher will be found helpful in presenting problems that the 
pupil should be able to solve in connection with his studies. 
Such problems help to develop the constant attitude of inquiry 
which scieuce attempts to establish. 
