lobed leaf of Jack Oak; d, lyrate leaf, Moss-cup Oak; e, lobed leaf of Blue Milk-weed (Mulgedium). The two figures in the next illustration, Fig. 14, will close the forms of leaves exhibited. They are, a, tri-pinnate leaf of Honey Locust; b, tri pinnate leaf of Poison Hemlock. The very com plete glossary of botanical terms appended to this article, will explain not only the meaning of the terms used, but also, others in general use among botanists. They are given, as are the forms of leaves, not as constituting a text work to in botany, but as helps to those who wish to acquire practical knowledge in the science, as brought into the every day life of the worker of the soil, and especially as a means of initiating the young into a love of this important and interesting study. That every farmer should know something of the history and characteristics of plants is certainly neces sary. Indeed, there is no farm laborer, however ignorant, but what acquires a very considerable `knowledge in this direction, simply by observa tion. To assist all who have not pursued botany as a study, this article and its object-lessons will be of value. The history of the development of the seed, and the essentials in the biography of the plants is contained as follows: The shell of a seed may, be of any color, as white, black, yel low, red, etc.; may be polished and shining, or dull and rough; may be of any shape, as round, eor oval, or egg-shaped; may be winged, as in with the air and light. By this means the sap is changed into a nourishing food, fluted to sustain the growth of the plant in every part. Thus the leaves are design ed, not only as an ornamental robe, but as organs of breathing and di gestion. In the second stage of growth, when the plant depends no longer upon the seed for nour ishment, it goes on increasing in open each a flower instead of a leafy branch. A flower is therefore a leafy branch transformed having its axis undeveloped, its leaves in crowded circles, moulded into more delicate forms and tinged with brighter colors, not only pleasing.to the eye, but also as a means of attracting insects to assist fertilization to prepare the way for fruit. (See illustration ) The fourth stage of plant-life is the period of its fruit-bearing. The flowers have gradually faded and disappeared, but the pistil, having received the quickening pollen, remains in its place, holds fast all. the nourishing matter which continues to flow into it through the flower-stem, grows, and finally ripens into the perfected fruit and seed. The fifth and last stage in the biography of the plant is its hibernation, the winter cessation of growth, or its death. U the event of ing and fruit-bearing occur within the first or second year of the life of the plant, it is generally followed by its speedy death. In all other cases it is followed by a state Of needful repose, wherein it is commonly/ stripped of its leaves, and gives few, if any, tions of life, until awaked, with renewed vigor, in the stature and multiplying its leaves and branches. It now consists of three parts, viz: root, stem and leaves. These are called the organs of vege tation. The third stage of plant-life is the period of flowering. Before this period all its activity was devoted to its own nourishment and growth. Now it begins to live and act for the continu ance of its own kind after it upon the earth, according to the Divine decree in Genesis, 1.11. Some of its buds un dergo a striking change, and following spring. According to their different terms of life, we distinguish plants as annuals, biennials, and perennials. An annual herb com pletes its whole history in one year. In the spring it germinates; in summer it grows, blooms, bears frUit ; and in autumn its work and life are ended. The mustard, maize and morning-glory are such. A biennial herb lives two years. Dur mg the first it germinates, grows, and bears leaves only; and in its second year it blossoms, bears fruit and dies. Such is the beet and radish. A perennial plant survives several or many years. There are herbaceous perennials and woody per , ennials. The herbaceous perennials, or peren nial herbs, are such as survive the winter only by their roots or their parts which grow under ground. These in spring send up leaves, flowers, and often stems, all of which per ish in autumn, leaving only the parts under the ground alive as before. Such are the hop, asters, violets. Woody perennials sur vive the winter by their stems as well as roots, and usually grow for several years be fore flowering, and then flower annually during their 'existence. According to their size, such plants are trees, shrubs, under shrubs. A tree is the largest among plants, having a permanent, woody stem, usually unbranched below, and dividing into branches above. The oaks, elms and pines are familiar examples. A shrub IS smaller than a tree, usually growing in clusters from one under ground mass of roots. The lilacs, roses, alders, are shrubs. Small shrubs, about of our own stature, as the currants, brambles, we call bushes. Very low shrubs, as the blueberries, box, etc., are undersbrubs. Plants are divided into phmnogamous or flowering plants, or togamous or flowerless plants; the first comprise the more noble; the second having spores instead of flowers. To these belong the Scouring Rush, Ferns, Club-moss, Mushrooms, etc. ing plants are vegetables bearing proper flowers, having stamens and tils, and producing seeds which contain an bryo, They are ledonous or exogenous, and monocotyledonous or endogenous plants. cotyledonous or ous plants have the stems formed of bark, wood and pith; the wood forming a layer between the other two, ing, when the stem tinues from year to year, by the annual addition of a new layer to the side, next the bark. Leaves netted-veined; embryo with a pair of opposite cotyledons, or rarely several in a whorl; flowers having their parts usually in fives or fours. Monocotyledonous, or endogenous plants, have stems with no manifest distinction into bark, wood and pith; but the woody fibre and vessels collected into bundles or threads, which are irregularly imbedded in the cellular tissue; perennial trunks destitute of annual layers; Leaves mostly parallel-veined (nerved) and ing at the base, seldom separating by an artioula tion, almost always alternate, or scattered and not toothed. Parts of the flower commonly in threes. Embryo with a single cotyledon (and the leaves of the plumule alternate). Indian corn, the other grasses, etc., are examples of the latter; the oak, elm, apple-tree and many others, are of the former. Species of plants are comprised of all individuals of the same kind, and are descended from a common stock. A genus is an
assemblage of species which are much alike, especially in their flowers and fruit. Thus, flax is a genus made of similar species. Clover is a genus composed of 150 species. Pine is a genus, embracing as species White Pine, Yellow Pine, Pitch Pine, Long-leaved Pine, and many others. Individuals of the same species may differ some what among themselves, and these differences constitute varieties. Thus apple trees differ in their fruit, and there are hundreds of 'varieties although only one species. Roses differ in their form, color, and fragrance of their flowers, ,forming many varieties under each species. Nat ural orders are made up of genera. Just as simi lar species form a genus, so similar genera form natural orders. Thus individuals, form species, species form genera, and genera form orders. These, as previously stated, are again divided into the two sub-kingdoms—flowering plants and flowerless plants. The first called Plecenogamia and the latter Cryptogamia. Exogens have the wood in concentric rings or layers, formed year by year, the outer the newest. By counting these, one may form a definite idea of the age of the tree. The leaves of this class are net-veined, the flowers seldom or never completely three parted, and the seed two-lobed. The endogens leave their wood, if any, confused, the inner portion being the newest. Their leaves are par allel-veined, flowers three-parted, and seeds one lobed. Exogens are of two forms, vessel seeded, called angiosperms, and naked seeded called gym nosperms. Exogens generally have pistils to the flowers, with young seeds inclosed in their ovaries. The pines, yews, etc., have no pistils, or at least no stigmas to their inflorescence, and produce naked seeds, and hence are called gym nosperm, from the compound Greek word signi fying naked-seeded. The grasses, endogens, have their flowers enveloped in green alternate scales, glumes, instead of the circle of pistils common to other flowers. Thus the division is made into glume plants and glumeless plants, called glwmiferce and petaliferce. Thus, all flower ing plants are divided into four classes, as fol lows: Angiosperms; exogens bearing stigmas and seed-vessels. Gymnosperms; exogens with no stigmas, and with naked seeds, as ' the pines, firs, larches, cedars, cypresses, yews, etc. Feta lifera; endogens with no glumes and ordinary flowers. Ghtmtlerce; endogens with glumes instead of petals, as the Grasses, Sedges, Grains. Angiosperms may be readily distinguished from gymnosperms, from the fact that nearly all the latter are cone-bearing, as the Pine, Cedar, Larch, etc. Below we give a tabular view of the natural system of classification of plants: 2. Leaves parallel-veined. Flowers three parted Endogens.
3. Stigmas present. Seeds in Angioaperma.
3. Stigmas none. Seeds naked. Pines, spruces, etc Gymnoeperma.
4. Flowers without glumes, having petals, etc Petaliferse.
4. Flower's with green, alternate glumee, no petals Glumiferie.
5. Petals distinct and separate Polypetalre, 5. Pettis united more or lees Gamopetalre.
5. Petals none Apetalie.
6. The cone-bearing plants; as cedars, larches Conoide.
7. Inflorescence a spadix Spadichlorte.
7. rnflorescence not a spadix Floridese.
8. Grasslike plants GraminoidB, 9. Ferns, mosses, lichens, sea-weeds, mushrooms.
Abbreviations and scientific signs, often used in descriptive botany (omitting contractions for signs of the compass, the months and the States, as being generally understood) are as follows; ach., achenia. invol., involuere.
cut.. reetivation. irreg.. irregular.
atter., alternate. legume.
anth., anther. leaf;, ivs.,leaves.
axill.. axillary. fte., leaflets.
C.. common. ova., ovary.
cal.. calyx. pet.. petals.
caps., capsule. r.. rare, uncommon.
cor . corolla. recp., receptacle.
desist., deciduous. req., regular.
dia et., diameter. rhaz., rhizome.
emarg., emarginate. rt.. root.
f orft., feet. sde., seeds.
,fit., filament. seq., segments.
ft.. flower; Its., flowers. sep., sepals. • fr., fruit. st.. stem.
hd., head; hda., beads. sta., stamens.
hyp.. hypogynous. dig., stigmas.
imbr.. imbricate. sly., styles.
inf., inferior.
f. (with or without the period) a foot.
(a single accent) denotes an inch (a twelfth of one foot). " (a doable accent) a second, a line (a twelfth of an inch). O An annual plant.
O A biennial plant.
2( A perennial plant.
rr A plant with a woody stem.
d A etaminate flower or plant.
A pistillate flower or plant.
0 A perfect flower, or a plant hearing perfect flowers.
8 Moncecious, or a plant bearing staminate and pistillate flowers.
d Dicecious; pistillate and staminate flowers on sepa rate plants.
d Polygamous; the same species, with listillate, perfect, and staminate flowers.
0 (a cipher) signifies wanting or none, as "Petals 0." § (placed after) a naturalized plant.
t (placed after) cultivated for ornament.
t (placed alter) cultivated for use.
m Indefinite or numerous.
The very complete glossary, compiled by the late and lamented Dr. Darlington, will be found important and very interesting in connec 1. Flowering plants, (See No. 2) Phanogamia.
1. Flowerless plants. (See No. 9) Cryptogamla.
2. Leaves net-veined. Flowers never quite three-parted Exogens.
tion with botany in its relation to ture. The reader will bear in mind, that where compound descriptive terms are employed the last meaning of the compound word is in tended to give the predominant character, and* that the word or syllable prefixed merely hull oates a modification of that character ; as for example : Ovate-lanceolate signifies lanceolate, but inclining somewhat to ovate; while lance ovate means ovate with something of the lance olate form, etc. So of colors: Yellowish-green, bluish-green, signify that green is the prevail ing hue, but that it is tinged with a shade of yellow, blue, etc. Terms indicative of the size of any organ, or portion of plant as large, small, or middle-sized, are of course, relative, and have reference to the usual or average size of such parts, or organs, in other species of the same genus or family.
A; at the commencement of a word, signifies the absence of some part; as apetaloua, destitute of petals. When the word commences with a vowel, an is prefixed.
Abnormal; different from the regular or usual structure. Abortion; an imperfect development of any organ. Abortive; not arriving at perfection ; producing no fruit. Abrupt. Not gradoal; sudden.
Abruptly acuminate; suddenly narrowed to an acnmina tion.
AbruptlV pinnate. (See Even-pinnate.) Acaulescent; apparently stemless.
Accessory; additional, or supernumerary.
Accumbent cotyledons; having the radicle applied to the cleft, or recurved along the edges of the cotyledons (re preaented by this sign, o—), as in some Cruciferoue plants.