December, 



1899. 



Junior-Naturalist Monthly. 



Issued by the College of Agriculture and Experiment Station of Cornell University, 

 under Chapter 430 of the Laws of 1899, of the State of New York. 



Vol. I. 



CORNELL UNIVERSITY, ITHACA, N. Y. 



No. 3 



HOW WE SHALL PLEASE ST. NICHOLAS. 



UPPOSE on the eve of the 24th of Decem- 

 ber, St. ISTicholas should pop his head in at 

 my door and say : " Merry Christmas, Uncle 

 John ! I have come to find out what your 

 Junior Naturalists have learned about wind 

 and ice and snow and evergreens." Do you 

 not believe that lie would be very much 

 disappointed if we had forgotten to study 

 the very things in nature that he enjoys most? Let us work hard 

 during the cold December days, so that Uncle John may be proud 

 of all that his boys and girls have done ; for then the jolly old face 

 will be a welcome sight. 



The wind is one of Nature's strongest children and many a hard 

 task it accomplishes. \Yatch carefully and see if you can discover 

 how it works and what are the results of its labors. From your 

 observations from time to time near your own home, let me know 

 what effect you think it might have on the ocean or on a desert. I 

 want you also to learn to love the music of the wind for, as you grow 

 older, you will find that " it is a voice that never sings false. You 

 are never small when you listen to it." 



Jack Frost seems to be just a nimble little sprite, so I am sure you 

 have no idea what a strong fellow he is. Perhaps you know that he 

 can break a pitcher or a bottle, which is not a difficult thing to do ; 

 but did you ever hear that sometimes he becomes a powerful giant 

 and can pry great rocks apart ? How does he do these things ? I 

 wonder if you can tell me, 



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