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mother plant last spring stored enough food to enable the crocus 

 to bloom next spring before its leaves have had time to make more 

 food. The crocus bulb is an enlarged, underground stem, used as 

 a food storehouse. This should be explained, and the pupils may- 

 each tell the story something as follows: " I am a crocus bulb. I 

 am packed full of food that was made by the leaves of my mother 

 crocus plant last spring after she had blossomed. All I ask is to 

 be planted this fall, so that next spring I can use all of the food 

 stored in me to make a beautiful flower and some green leaves to 

 cheer all the little children who may look at me." See page 596. 



The effect of light on plants — As early as second grade there should 

 be a few experiments introduced to illustrate some simple facts in 

 plant physiology. The use of the leaf as a starch factory making 

 sufficient food for the plant and run by sunshine power, is one of 

 the first lessons of this kind and may be illustrated as follows: 

 Bring in a geranium from out of doors, pot it and place it in a win- 

 dow, never changing its position. Soon all the leaves will change 

 position so as to face the light. This is an act that resembles ac- 

 tions of our own, and nothing is more important in nature-study 

 than to make the children feel that a plant is a living being and 

 always doing something. See second paragraph, p. 491. First 

 Studies of Plant Life, Atkinson, pp. 136-149. 



The position of leaves and flowers in the rain is another lesson of 

 the same sort. Leaves and flowers droop, and many flowers close 

 so as to shed the rain to escape the force of the pelting drops. 



The effect of frost on leaves and flowers should be studied. Bring 

 in the tender leaves and blossoms the morning after a heavy frost. 

 First they wilt, and then they shrivel and turn dark colored. This 

 is because Jack Frost destroys the walls and tears down the ma- 

 chinery of the leaf starch factories, and of course no factory can 

 run without walls or machinery. 



THIRD GRADE. 



The geranium — The geranium is a cheerful companion of man. 

 It is easily grown and its flowers render it most ornamental ; it has 

 a chummy quality that appeals to old and young alike. In teach- 

 ing this lesson, a geranium plant bearing single flowers should be 

 where the pupils may observe it. This will give material for five 

 lessons: (1) The study of the plant should follow obs. 1, 2, p. 646. 

 These questions should be asked one at a time, which the children 



