Laboratory Practice for Beginners in Botany (Classic Reprint) - Tapa blanda

Excerpt from Laboratory Practice for Beginners in Botany

In order to make the study of botany more effective under the first head, it seems best to bring the student into imme diate contact with the object itself, in the laboratory; and not only that, but to avoid interposing apparatus, as far as possible, between the student and the object to be studied.

For this purpose, the writer has practically confined his attention to the larger plants.

Desiring also to cultivate, as far as possible, the ability to draw correct inferences from exact observations, the writer has deemed it best to consider the subject from a somewhat different point of view from that usually adopted, and has attempted to make the morphological study bear fruit in this direction. The great difficulty in most laboratory work is to make the students realize the significance of the morphological details. They may observe accurately and record their observations carefully, but what of that? The physiological significance is overlooked - even in many cases where experiments are used to illustrate physiological phenomena.

That the plant is a living thing, is a fact that must be borne actively in mind, both by teacher and by student. The plant must obtain the materials for its support, and to do this it must compete with other plants; it must protect itself against or seek the aid of animals it must obtain the energy and materials to reproduce its kind, and endeavor to place its offspring where they may have a proper chance for development; and, destitute of a mind as it is, it exercises an ingenuity, so to speak, that is of no mean order. We must, then, think of the plant as a living, working, struggling being with a single object in life, viz. To reproduce its kind and every variation in structure, be it great or little, is to be examined to determine, if possible, its use or history.

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This book is a reproduction of an important historical work. Forgotten Books uses state-of-the-art technology to digitally reconstruct the work, preserving the original format whilst repairing imperfections present in the aged copy. In rare cases, an imperfection in the original, such as a blemish or missing page, may be replicated in our edition. We do, however, repair the vast majority of imperfections successfully; any imperfections that remain are intentionally left to preserve the state of such historical works.

Excerpt from Laboratory Practice for Beginners in Botany

The writer has been frequently asked to express to others his ideas on the subject of the teaching of botany in the schools. He has been led to consider the problem from a number of different points of view and to try a number of different methods in attempting a satisfactory solution. After experimenting with a number of classes of beginners both in the preparatory schools and in the university, he has arrived at the following conclusions: -

Botany in the preparatory schools should be taught -

1. As a science, to cultivate careful and accurate observation, together with the faculty of making from observations the proper inferences; and

2. As a means of leading the mind of the student to interest itself in the phenomena of nature for its own further development and profit.

In order to make the study of botany more effective under the first head, it seems best to bring the student into immediate contact with the object itself, in the laboratory; and not only that, but to avoid interposing apparatus, as far as possible, between the student and the object to be studied.

About the Publisher

Forgotten Books publishes hundreds of thousands of rare and classic books. Find more at www.forgottenbooks.com

This book is a reproduction of an important historical work. Forgotten Books uses state-of-the-art technology to digitally reconstruct the work, preserving the original format whilst repairing imperfections present in the aged copy. In rare cases, an imperfection in the original, such as a blemish or missing page, may be replicated in our edition. We do, however, repair the vast majority of imperfections successfully; any imperfections that remain are intentionally left to preserve the state of such historical works.