Conversations on Vegetable Physiology 2 volume Set Comprehending the Elements of Botany, with their Application to Agriculture

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. Volume 2 considers agriculture and plant diseases, the cultivation of trees and culinary vegetables, and the effects of humans on flora.

Volume 1: 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. Volume 2: 15. On the multiplication of plants by subdivision; 16. On grafting; 17. On the multiplication of plants by seed; 18. On compound flowers; 19. In fruit; 20. On the seed; 21. On the classification of plants; 22. On artificial systems of classification of plants; 23. On the natural systems of classification; 24. On botanical geography; 25. On the influence of culture on vegetation; 26. On the degeneration and the diseases of plants; 27. The diseases of plants continued; 28. On the cultivation of trees; 29. On the cultivation of plants which produce fermented liquors; 30. On the cultivation of grasses, tuberous roots, and grain; 31. On oleaginous plants and culinary vegetables.