clakkb] DIRECT METHODS OF STUDYING NATURE 303 



is not a regular part of the school curriculum, so the work must be 

 voluntary; but much enthusiasm is shown, and many applications are 

 received for plots. The owners of the gardens are responsible for 

 looking after them, and the necessary digging, weeding, watering, 

 etc., is clone in the dinner hour and after school. 



Bacon, in his delightful essay on "Gardens," says: "God 

 Almighty first planted a garden. And indeed it is the purest of human 

 pleasures. It is the greatest refreshment to the spirits of man, with- 

 out which buildings and palaces are but gross handiworks." 



The practical work appeals to many who would not be interested in 

 books, and in several cases has been the means of arousing a girl's 

 interest in plant life. One set of students did not seem to take much 

 interest in their work until they owned gardens, and then they were 

 most industrious, and their gardens were beautifully kept. When 

 photographs of the girls at work in their gardens were taken, one of 

 these girls kept in the background, and on being told to come forward, 

 exclaimed: "Oh, no; I should hide ihe sweet peas!" Unfortu- 

 nately, in spite of this sacrifice, a good photograph of the sweet peas 

 was not obtained. 



The laboratories are near the gardens, and in fine weather a class 

 often spends the time in watching insects visit flowers, in finding out 

 the different methods by which plants climb, in studying the various 

 ways in which seeds are dispersed, and in making experiments. 

 There can be no doubt that when the weather renders it possible, it 

 is far better for the children to study Nature in the open-air than in 

 rooms. 



Many experiments are carried on in the garden in connection with 

 the visits of insects and pollination. Some plants are covered with 

 muslin so that insects are excluded, and other plants of the same 

 species are left uncovered. The students then carefully watch both 

 sets to see if fruits appear on either. When fruits are found on both 

 the covered and uncovered plants. ''the number and vigor of the fruits 

 are compared, and in this way the girls are led to see that the visits 

 of insects are an advantage to the plant. These experiments arouse 

 great interest, not only in the owners of the plants, but throughout 

 the school, and numbers of girls vi>it them to try and find out what 

 is taking place. 



In the watching of insects at work among the flowers, the students 

 note, amongst other things, on what part of the flower the insect 

 alights, what part of the insect is covered with the yellow dust or 

 pollen, and how many flowers the insect visits in one minute. 



