144 THE NATURE-STUDY REVIEW [5:6— sept., 1909 



garden work it is better that she have a plot of ground and do 

 just the things which would come, for example, in a seventh grade 

 class in "agriculture." She should go out, lay off the plot, dig up 

 the soil, fertilize it, plant, water, tend and study the plot as she 

 will expect her pupils to do. It will lessen at least the number of 

 unexpected results. A practical course like this w^ill give her 

 greater facility in handling her subject than one crowded with 

 discussion and methods of presentation. If such exercises in 

 handling as many kinds of material as possible be given, it would, 

 I believe, help to solve the problem of training teachers of nature- 

 study. 



USING TREES FOR NATURE-STUDY 



PROFESSOR W. L. FLOYD 



University of the State of Florida 



The study of trees, considered either singly or as forests, offers 

 fine opportunity for seeing accurately, reasoning correctly about 

 what is seen, and establishing an interest in objects of great 

 economic importance. Material is easily found ; in cities and in 

 the country. I find along a small stream wdthin five minutes' 

 walk of my school, species of pine, lic|uid amber, tupelo, oak, bass- 

 wood, hornbeam, maple, magnolia, hickory and cypress. From 

 all of these lumber may be made, some of which is adapted to 

 special purposes; and wood and other products are of value. I 

 doubt not that an equal number of species may be found near 

 enough to visit and study by the pupils of almost any school in 

 the South. 



Our trees are rapidly being cut, interest in their preservation 

 or reproduction should be aroused. In connection with the 

 studies of language, geography, history and civics, we may teach 

 the children to know the kinds of trees in the vicinity, their im- 

 portant characteristics, products, relative value, and relation to 

 industrial development. Thus, they would be brought into con- 

 tact with concrete things that enter into their daily experiences. 

 Arbor days may be made 'occasions for the study of trees best 

 suited for shade and ornament and even extended to include legis- 

 lation for forestry, and the national forestry policy. 



Some European nations are so managing their forests as to 

 obtain a large supply^ of wood, lumber, and other material from 

 them, and at the same time growing as much on the land as is con- 



