Rural School Llaflim. 935 



We want you to germinate peas this month. Your teacher will tell 

 you how to watch the plant develop from the seed. Have some plants 

 of peas at home as well as at school. You will be able to get enough 

 soil, perhaps, from someone who has house plants. Put it in a tomato 

 can and plant the pea seeds in it. You will find it interesting to watch 

 a little plant grow. Watch it every day and see what happens. A good 

 way to see a plant develop is to line a glass with blotting paper ; fill the 

 inside with moist sawdust, which you must keep moist, and place the 

 seeds between the blotting paper and the glass. You can then see a little 

 plant grow and form roots and leaves. 



As you study the different plants I want you to know that they 

 may be placed in groups called families because of similar character- 

 istics. Even young folks can look for these likenesses in plants and 

 will find it very interesting. One of the botanists in this country, 

 rummaging in a garret when he was twelve years old, found a book from 

 which he learned that plants are grouped in families. He had not 

 known this fact before. From that time he began to make a study 

 of plants and has contributed valuable knowledge along this line for 

 all students of plant life. 



Oftentimes members of the plant family dififer very much in appear- 

 ance. You may have to study them closely to find ways in which they 

 are related. Y'ou will at once be able to see a similarity in beans and 

 peas, but clovers, belonging to the same family, look quite different at 

 first. You may be surprised to know that a Judas tree and a locust 

 tree belong also to this family. H anyone in the schoolroom owns a ^ 

 botany, look over the large number of plants that are related to the 

 beans and peas. 



Do not fail to watch some seeds develop into a plant and to write 

 us about them. 



Sincerely your friend, 



Alice G. McCloskey 



CORNELL CONTESTS 

 Our boys and girls are probably anxious to learn the results of 

 the Cornell Contests for which prizes were offered last year. We shall 

 not be able to make a report on the contests until next month. We 

 shall then publish names of contestants and the winners of prizes, also 

 some of the best compositions. 



