Iron County register. [volume] (Ironton, Iron County, Mo.) 1867-1965, 1890-05-01
STUDY OF BOTANY.
HOW 1t Can Easily BE Made Profitable
and Entertaining.

How 1t Can Easily BE Made Proftabl,
and Entertaining.
Many are under the impression tina,
to study botany means simply to learn
Latin names, and that the knowledge oil
these names is its own only end and
aim. If this were true botany would
indeed be a dry and not very useful
study, although there would still be
some benefit in being able to speak OF
plants exactly instead of inexactly, and
TO speak OF any possible plant instead
of a comparatively restricted number.
But to learn Latin names is only the
first step in learning to know the plants
they representa- needful step if one S
knowledge is ever to amount to
much, but in no sense an end
or aim. When a simple hand
book can be used SO that the name of a
plant can be found in it (the common
name always appearing with the scien-
tlflcf, then all other facts about the
plant can be read at glance: and I'M
less this can be done most of these facts
Will never be gathered. knowing the
name, we find the manner of the plant s
growth, the regions where it is common
or rare, the character of the spots where
1t may most hopefully be looked for, it's
seasons of blooming and fruiting, and
its relations to other species, with the
facts upon which this relationship is
founded, as well as those which make
its own individuality clear. Is not
all this worth knowing, even at
the cost of dealing for the moment
with the uglieSt of Latin names. If
child finds rosy Arethusa with twin
blossoms, Will not his pleasure in it and
his desire to search for other flowers
both be stimulated by the knowledge
that his treasure is very rare one? Or
If he discovers that the pretty little
Bunch berry, which carpets some woody
spot, is first cousin to the big Flowering
DOgwOod, and discovers, too, the reason
why, will not his interest in it be in
creased? Let him learn why an Orchid
is an Orchid, why the tiny Ladies'
Tresses deserve the name as much as
the gorgeous Cattleya or Oncidium of
the greenhouse, and he has gained some
thing which surely can not decrease his
enjoyment of the beauty of either.
But to do this, it may be objected,
beautiful flowers must be pulled to
pieces, and this will ''deadcn the sense
of beauty" by no means. The truth
is quite the other way. No one who has
not once pulled a fiowor to pieces can
realize, in the great ma jority of cases,
how beautiful it is. All its beauty is
not in its larger features or on the out
side of its cup. In the interior, the hid
den rcccsscs where the great work of
reproduction goes on in myriad of diff
ferent ways, each more marvellous and
admirable than the other-hcre resides
a great part of the beauty of the
flowers and the greater part of the
beauty of not Il few. Even if it
led to nothing but knowledge of
Natures delight in making the tinieSt
features of her productions lovely to
our eyes the close examination of floral
structures would be well worth many
hours of Il busy mans time. Once this
has been learned. we do not need al
ways to see it. Seeing the flower as 4
whole, we not only know its name,
habits and relationships, but remember
its structure. The exterior suggests
the interior, and knowledge of the in
terror explains the lovely individuality
of the envelope. Even the slightest
smattering of botanical knowledge will
greatly increase instead of lessenng
the enjoyment of any one who by nature
has any love for flowers.
To learn enough to widen ones inter-
est in natures products is not very
difficult task. Indeed, there is no other
science in which a beginning is so east
~ made or gives so large a return in
pleasure. Materials for study are
everywhere at hand; no travelling is
needed, no great exertion and no outlay
of money. The needful tools are as
easily procured. A single book
will give all requisite preliminary in
struction, full descriptions of all plants
within a very wide area, a glossary of
terms to help out the weakest memory,
Il dictionary of common name. With
u knife. a long pin and COM
mon magnifying glass the student has
all he wants; and plants, even
when withcrcd and dissected, make
litter to which no mother would object
as she might to the materials of the boy
who has = passion for flying and creep
ing things. \ few weeks of work. with
living plants to illustrate the printed
text, will seem more like play than
work, and will enable any young person
borhood of his home. OF all the
sciences. this is the one whose study
should meet with every encouragement
as a happy and useful employment for
our Young folks summer hourS.-Garden
and Forest.