Page:An introduction to physiological and systematical botany (1st edition).djvu/41

 Rh uses. But as this definition would include many arts and sciences, each of them sufficient to occupy any common mind, as Agriculture, Dietetics, Medicine, and many others; it is sufficient for a philosophical naturalist to be acquainted with the general principles upon which such arts and sciences are founded.

That part of Natural History which concerns plants is called Botany, from βοτάνη, the Greek word for an herb or grass. It may be divided into three branches; 1st, The physiology of plants, or a knowledge of the structure and functions of their different parts; 2dly, The systematical arrangement and denomination of their several kinds; and 3dly, Their œconomical or medical properties. All these objects should be kept in view by an intelligent botanist. The two first are of essential service to each other, and the last is only to be pursued, with any certainty, by such as are versed in the other two. The present publication is intended to explain the fundamental principles of them all, with as much practical illustration as may be necessary for those who wish to become well acquainted