POTATOES AND OATS AS NATURE-STUDY TOPICS 



By ALICE JEAN PATTERSON, Illinois State Normal University, Normal, 111. 



While different teachers may advance different ideas as to 

 the purpose of nature-study in the public schools, all probably 

 agree that no matter what method may be employed, or what 

 material used nature-study must mean the putting forth of effort 

 to find out some of nature's truths. Naturally it should lead 

 children to interpret more correctly than they otherwise would 

 do, life and natural phenomena. It should foster initiative and 

 independence, lead to a recognition of laws and principles, an 

 appreciation of the working together of natural objects and 

 iorces, and something of man's work in controlling these forces. 



While wild nature has contributions of her own to make 

 toward the realization of the above ends, nothing can quite take 

 the place of the hand to hand contact that comes with the rearing 

 of plants. This is work in which the children participate with 

 both mind and hand. It brings with it the joy of achievement 

 the pleasure that comes with the getting of tangible results. It 

 is this that makes the school garden of special significance in a 

 nature-study course. 



Instead of attempting to discuss in a general way the various 

 contributions that a school garden may make to the nature-study 

 course I shall simply tell some of the things we have tried to do 

 with two very commonplace plants. 



POTATOES 



For several years the children of the fourth grade and the 

 members of the nature-study classes of the Normal department 

 have made a special study of potatoes. Last year the boys of the 

 eighth grade, also, did some work in potato culture. 



With some of the classes the work began in the fall when 

 the potatoes were harvested. The students noticed that some 

 hills gave a far better yield than others and the problem presented 

 itself, whether or not the selection of "seed potatoes" from plants 

 producing a number of good sized potatoes would tend to increase 

 the yield. 



The matter was looked up and it was found that some 

 French experimenters had succeeded in making considerable 

 improvement in productiveness by careful selection of seed tubers. 

 On the other hand some American experimenters have found 

 that small potatoes may be used several years without apparent 



