Conversations on Vegetable Physiology: Volume 1
Comprehending the Elements of Botany, with their Application to Agriculture

Published in 1829, this two-volume work, a beginner's guide to botany, deals with plant form and plant science's practical applications.

Jane Haldimand Marcet (Author)

9781108067454, Cambridge University Press

Paperback / softback, published 21 November 2013

314 pages
21.6 x 14 x 1.8 cm, 0.4 kg

Jane Haldimand Marcet (1769–1858) wrote across a range of topics, from natural philosophy to political economy. Her educational books were especially intended for female students, to combat the prevalent idea that science and economics were unsuitable for women, but they found broader popularity: Michael Faraday, as a young bookbinder's apprentice, credited Marcet with introducing him to electrochemistry. This two-volume work, first published in 1829, is a beginner's guide to botany. Since the chief aim was accessibility, Marcet does not dwell on the often burdensome process of plant classification, but focuses on plant forms and botany's practical applications. She presents the facts in the form of simple conversations between two students and their teacher. Based on the lectures of the Swiss botanist Candolle, Volume 1 introduces roots, leaves, sap, and the effects of different soil and air.

Preface
1. Introduction
2. On roots
3. On stems
4. On leaves
5. On sap
6. On cambium, and the peculiar juices of plants
7. On the action of light and heat on plants
8. On the naturalisation of plants
9. On the action of the atmosphere on plants
10. On the action of water on plants
11. On the artificial modes of watering plants
12. On the action of soil on plants
13. The action of soil on plants continued
14. The action of soil on plants continued.

Subject Areas: Botany & plant sciences [PST]