johnson] NATURE-STUDY IN CHICO NORMAL 1 53 



leguminous plants have tubercles on the roots, thus we are 

 brought around once more to those very interesting organisms, 

 the bacteria, and we find them playing an entirely different role in 

 nature. It is further seen that plants belonging to the same 

 botanical family are often infested by the same species of insect 

 or plant disease, thus the pupil has a new (if not very accurate) 

 means of determining relationships. He will be interested in try- 

 ing to find insects which are partial toward certain plants and 

 what plants suffer most from depredations of insects. Learning 

 , the relationships of plants to each other serves to organize in the 

 pupil's mind the bits of information he is picking up here and 

 there concerning plants. 



There has long been a sentiment against learning merely to 

 recognize animals and plants so as to be able to call them by 

 name when seen. Nevertheless such ability very often leads to a 

 desire for a more intimate acquaintanceship. We are making 

 use of this as one means of arousing an interest in nature in the 

 classes of both the normal and training departments. The re- 

 sults are very gratifying, for students and pupils after learning the 

 name, are in most cases desirous of making an examination of the 

 organism in order tc find in what respects it differs from or 

 resembles other organisms of its kind. Moreover, unless one 

 knows the name of the plant or animal tinder consideration he is 

 unable to get any help whatever from books concerning it. We 

 are seeking in all our nature-study teaching first to get the pupil 

 and student to see all they can and then by references to the 

 literature of the subject in question to arouse in him the desire to 

 investigate further. In this way the spirit of nature-study will 

 develop into the true scientific spirit. 



From the above it will be seen that the school-garden furnishes 

 us with material in abundance for all our nature-study work, and 

 with more than we can find time for, though each class gives a 

 part of every day to the subject. What shall be raised in the 

 school-garden and consequently what shall be the materials of 

 nature-study should be determined by the locality in which the 

 school is situated. In California, where gardening and horti- 

 culture are carried on so extensively and where so many noxious 

 insects and plant diseases occur, we feel more than justified in 

 shaping the nature work as indicated above. The children of our 

 State should be enabled through what they learn in the public 



