The Saint Paul globe. (St. Paul, Minn.) 1896-1905, 1898-05-15
BOTANY AS NOW STUDIED
In Our SchOols-Hints to Specimen
Hunters.

1t is now the time of year when veg
citation is we'll under way and the
specimen seeker is abroad. The study
of Botany has made wonderful progress
during the century just closing and is
now widely pursued. Students of
nature are more numerous than any
others, for the study of vegetative life
now not only concerns the intelligent
agricultuTist, who uses 1t for practical
purposes, but the entire present liberal
generation appears to have fondness
for such study.
In a talk with Prof. McDongal. Of
the state university, on the subject, he
gave many of the following facts: In
the modern study of plants attention
is devoted to other things than the col
lecting and labelling of specimens. The
courses in Botany offered by a college
of any pretensiOns have become so
highly developed that several distinct
branches Of the subject may be made
out A student of the morphology of
plants devotes his attention to the de-
velopment of spores, the formation and
structure of different organs and the
relationship of growth, SenStbility and
movements of plants. While 1t is sup
posed that movement and sensibility
are exceptional properties shown only
by a limited number of species, all
and certain properties which some
botanists designate as senses" These
senses correspond in general way to
those of animals and are eight in num-
Der. Thus plant perceives light,
gravity, moisture, contact with a solid
substance, and changes In tempera-
ture These powers in a general way
are parallel to ours; e. g.: the sensitive
ness of different groups to light. In
such courses a great part of the work
is devoted to woodworking plants.
Another important branch of the
subject consists in the physiology of
plant life; study OF .hs functions of
plants. The protoplasrb Vt plants has
the same primal propert y as the proto-
plasm of animals, but these properties
are developed in a manner adapted TO
the life of the plant The student who
selects this branch OF the work makes
practical experiments with living
plants in the greenhouse and out OF
doors, upon the nutrition and respira-
ton Of plants.
One of the most fascinating branches
of experimentation in the physiology of
plants consists in the study of the in
f1uence of external factors upon the
form and growth of plants. Thus by
an alteration in the amount of light.
moisture or the character OF the food,
changes in the form of stem and leaves
may be produced that make a plant
wholly unlike others of the same spe-
cies AS a matter of fact. such lines
of EXPERIMENTATION afford clear in
sight into the evolution of plants and
show the factors that have been &C
tive in the development of many thou
sands Of species on the surface of the
earth.
In the modern system of teaching
the subject in a college the systematic
study of dried plants is now undertaken
only after the student has become ia
miliar with the principles involved in
the line OF work designated above, BY
this method only can the relationship
of the different species and groups he
properly appreciated.
There is a short course In which the
work is done through lectures given
before large classes. Living specimens
of the most common plants are Jiistrib-
uted and analysed. In this way there
is very little individual research. but
a general knowledge Of the subject is
| arrived at.
During the summer months one has
many opportunities of collecting speci-
| mems and observing the great world Of
vegetative existence. and a little at
! tention will reveal points of similarity
! between plant and animal life of much
! interest never before noticed by many
who have not put themselves in close
! enough contact and sympathy with
| this beautiful side OF nature to ap-
! rrec,atc OF derive r.ach benefit from Il