The Express.
London, England, 1847-01-05 00:00:00

In dewy Bco, price ss. 6d.,

SCHOOL BOTANY
Or,the RUDIMENTS of BOTANICAL SCIENCE.
Br JOILN LINDLEY, PILL/. ELS.,
Progroor of Botany in University College. London.

A New Edition : with Numerous Alterations and nearly
Four Hundred Illustrations.

This work was originally prvicired, in haste, to meet a regnlation
Of the University of bindon, by which it was required of all students,
that, two years previously to prucecding to their brst degree, they
should be examined, among other subjects, in The characters and
differences of the princititl natural classes and orders of plants be-
longing to the Flora of Europe, in the botanical classilication of De
Canduile.''
. .

The obvious purlieu of this regulation was to make yonng men
Untainted with the names and properties of the vegetation that
uremia, them; no that, alter receiving what is called o liberal
educating they might not be thrown upon the world, ignorant of
the names, rat Iraq, of the commoned pianos of their own country.
In the opinion of the author, the measure was .leulated to effect •
real good, and to supply a wide gap is the common routine of a
wheel, where It is roost desiruble that same natural history should be
Introlueed, if it be only to relieve the tedium of the lees attractive
Model to which young Know are nueouily subjected.
But it was also important for the Fake of its eutetruthal utility.
There may he a differince of opinion as to the advantage of
much time upon the study of botany; but there u ne opinWet;
es to the Importance of knowing the motes of the tdants of which man
has to make use, or which he is continually meeting with. There is
not at the present day a person of any intelligence ignorant of such
things, who does not regret that some portion of W youth should not
bare been devoted to this kind of inquiry.
The Donetthire gentleman who put himself to considerable trouble
and no small ex oar to carry snack of Hornbeam seed from Florence
to London, would hare been save" the exertion had he known that
the Hornbeam grew in abundance on leis own estate; and it may be
early asserted that every one of that celebrated court party which
diecovered a prodigy in the beautiful tree in Windsor Park, would
have been dad if their carte education had spared them the mortifies.
bon of learning from Lord M. that the tree in question was only the
Spanish Chestnut.
Whatever the future Intention, of a student of botany cosy be It is
Indapennable that the dr. t step to be taken should be that of gaining
an acquaintance with the common plants of hie own country. lo the
absence of that, lie cannot make a single MOW' in advance. He mute
tot muter the rudiments of the science, and muter them correctly.
This little hook has been prepared forthe porpoise of enabling him to
do so. It contains all that it is necessary to know In order to make a
hie beginning, and it includesno mote; no that if any one should have
the patience to master the whole contents of the volume, he would
then be in • position to carry hisinquiries onwards with rase. lint it
Is not really ossuary to become acquainted with all the plants here
mentioned.
The reason why en many Ponies are introduced, which are of mall
Importance, in to enable the teacher to obtain at least some part of
them to illustrate his teaching. Local circumstances, and *specially
our uncertain Kelowna, will always render it difficult to procure every
thing here inentioned; but no conceivable tircunistano • can, in this
country, offer impediments to the examination of a large put.
In selecting the sults with which the etudect is to be made
acquainted, thou hive been gener.dly chosen which are within any
maw. reach; and to render the acquisition of them more fogy, the
vulgar names are added. A very small um of money will enable
every schoolmaster to cultivate the whole in a packs, where they
May be constantly at hand.
In framing the technical characters of genera and spedes, all the
more minute distinctions, the detection of which requires the aid of a
microioope, have been intentionally disregarded; and attention Ismore
r•ails- called to throe which are obvious enough to be observed by
one having a packet len..
? rh of the European natural orders I regard en the pen-
will be apparent, from the prominence given here to certain
orders beyond others. The teacher is not, however, rum-
mended altogether to omit thou which are stated to be comparatively
unimportant. The shed course will be to make the students
Ibuotighly unpainted, in the Snit instance, with the natural orders
which are marked from I. to LXXIII., and then to explain more
briefly the differences of those to which no numbers are prefixed.
Is ecoclusion, the teacher is particularly recommended to take are
slat in addition to a mall penknife, each student is provided with •
Wk. lens of about a hulf-Inch foto., and a few quires of paper ;
the former Wooed him in examining, and the latter in drying, the
hash specimen of plants daily brought before him. There is no
method so certain an the latter, to accustom young persons to esti-
mate correctly the difference's between one plant and another ; and.
It is presumed, no one will think of teaching Botany, without an
ample 'supply of fresh epreimena, which he may distribute among
his 431”, for the purpose of being examined and studi-d at !chore.
Indeed, it in orlon to stole botany, unless thin provision is mule
to the acquisition of theme habit. of obeerration which render
natural hidoes no peculiarly useful as a branch of mental training.
When etudennt to not enjoy the advantages of n competent
bother, their best plan will he to put this book into the hands of an
Intelligent gardener, and to listlithe him to furnish them weekly with
the plants that are named in it. .1t home they can compare the
definitions which then may find with the plants themselves, and this
Mod of practice is, of ail others, the mod certain to lead to Mem-
*Wats results.
None of the woodcuts employed in the first edition bare been
intredaerd on thin ocandon. Experience shows that, for purport.
attaching, it in indispensable that as much accuracy an a attainable
Auld be observed in preraring the illustrations. To the untrained
ahlithed,ilants are too much alike in reality; ill executed, or much
woodcut,. increase then resemblance, and commie... Ant&
more than instruct. The cola now employed will,
render it impossible that any mistake should be made by
rpm the moot inexperienced 5.5 to the plants to which they belong.
>Ltwilit:ln, Indeed, offered to artists by Mr. Palmer's otypbo-
Mbeprows., or analogoto modes of engraving, which bare been
employed on this occasion, leave Uttle to desire on the score
st..
.aeenraey.
tinseersetir College, London.

001,17.1171.
Cilium L-01, PLANTS IN GENERAL.
IL—CLASSES OF PLANTS.
11L-01, THE SUBDIVISIONS OP EXOGEMS.
THALAMIFLORAL EXOGENS.
CALYCIPWRAL MOGEN&
VI.—OF 03ROLLIFIA/RAL FICOGENS.
VII.—OF MONOCIILAIRYDF.OUS EXOGENS.
VIII.—OF ENDOGENS.
IX.--OP CLITPTOO.IIIS, or ACROOF,NS.