Fort Worth gazette. [volume] (Fort Worth, Tex.) 1891-1898, 1891-05-10
STUDY soy.Sy1SrE

Appropriately supplemental to Professor
Robert 7. Hills interesting remarks on
THE Flora of Texas, = rs published in THE
GAZETTE of last week, is the following from
that same leading American scientist. Like
the last weeks article it was prepared ex-
pressly for US. Professor Hill says:
How can we create a love for the study of
botany in Texas In no state i'll the Union
is so little attention paid TO this beautiful
and useful study. In few of our schools is
the subject taught, and even our state uni
verSity, which pays Sl6, 900 year for pro-
fessOrs of language, has not a single chair
of natural history. Where natural history
is taught-except in the Paris and one or
two other schoolS--I have observed that
the students do not study plants, but books.
There is but one use for books in the
study OF botany, (and these should not be
used at all by beginners, and that is for
reference. The great text book of botany
is Gods own fields and forests. Children
should learn TO study form and habits of
local plants-leaf, root and stem-and their
minds should be disabused of the idea that
there is beauty only in color and perfume of
flowers
There should be local botanical clubs in
every school precinct of our state. and the
local flora should be collected and studied.
Get children and adults interested in find
ing out how many and what kinds of plants
grow in their range Of observation. Keep
check lists of them in the school archives,
and soon we will know much about the
beautiful floras of Texas. Names, it should
be remembered. are of least Importance
nomenclature is but a weak attempt on
mans part TO classify and denominate the
beautiful and perfect nature. Learn the
plants and their differences, and names can
be reached later If you have q: plant
which you do not know, after trying your
best 10 ind out yourself, then send il to the
botanist of the department of agriculture,
Washington, ID. G.. He will tell you.
II the many coiored flowers which inhabit
our woods and prairies are beautiful and
useful. what world of study and useful
knowledge remains to man in the study of
the lower forms Of plant life in Texas,
upon which absolutely no work has been
done except in the study of the cotton root
fungus by our agricultural college. The
study of these lower forms, while equal in
interest and beauty TO that of the higher or
towering plants. is far more useful to man
kind. for if we include bacteria in the plant
kingdom nearly all animal and plant dis
eases, their occurrence, preventive and
cure. are based upon them. BY knowl-
edge OF the simple laws of their existence
and propagation millions of dollars could be
saved to our agricultural interests annually,
and allow me TO predict that in few years
the farmer who permits dead spots in his
cotton 10 grow and scatter their millions of
spores over his neighbors' fields, or his
cholera stricken hogs TO roam the woods.
and their uucremated carcasseS TO spread
infection. will be held no less criminal than
the baru-b burner or fence-cutter, and laws
viii be enacted for his punishment just as
in Connecticut it is now imprisonment for
one to allow the ''black knot'-a vegetable
funguS-to grow on his plum trees