Rural School Leaflet 1003 



selecting your Christmas tree. How many different evergreens can you 

 find? This year you are to study particularly the hemlock, the wliite 

 pine, and the cedar, and among the deciduous trees to make a special 

 study of the elm. How can you tell an elm in winter? Where have 

 elms been recently planted in your neighborhood? How are these trees 

 valuable? How tall do elms grow? In what kind of soil do they thrive 

 best? 



Are you preparing some mounts for the exhibit at Cornell University 

 during Farmers' Week? Be sure not to injure trees in order to make 

 these mounts. The teachers' leaflet gives full explanation for the exhibi- 

 tion held in Farmers' Week, and we are hoping that your school will send 

 something for it. See pages 154 and 227. 



IV. WEEDS 



Weeds are everywhere. The farmer and the gardener have to struggle 

 with them constantly in order to give the cultivated crops the best oppor- 

 tunity to grow. There are many very bad weeds in New York State, and 

 there is always danger that a new weed will come into the State and spread 

 before it is recognized as harmful. 



Boys and girls can help to protect the community against bad weeds. 

 It is first necessary to learn to recognize the weeds, and to know something 

 of the habits of each one and the places where. the weeds grow. It is also 

 valuable work to learn to indentify the seeds of the common weeds, so that 

 they can be discovered if present in the farm seeds that are sown. 



In the fall many weed seeds can be collected from the seed heads on the 

 dead stalks along the roadways and fence rows and in old fields and pas- 

 tures. We hope that many schools will begin to make a collection of the 

 seeds of all the weeds in their communities, and to make a careful study 

 of the different kinds until each Vjoy and girl can recognize them. 



As a beginning we would suggest for study the five weeds given in the 

 syllabus for work this year: Canada thistle, wild carrot, wild mustard, 

 orange hawkweed, and long-leaved plantain, or ribgrass. With a little 

 search most of these can be found in every locality. Pictures of the seeds 

 of these weeds are given on the next page, as a help in the study of them. 



There are various ways of preserving seeds for examination. Often 

 they are kept in small bottles, or are mounted on cardboard in a drop of 

 glue. Probably the best way, and a very simple one, is as follows : Take 

 two pieces of glass of the same size ; they may be large or small, depending 

 on the nmnber of kinds of seeds for one mount. Cut a piece of heav;^^ card- 

 board the same size as the glass. If thick cardboard is not available, use 

 two or more sheets together. On the cardboard draw rows of circles 

 one half to three quarters of an inch in diameter ; one of the boys will like 

 to cut out these circles with a sharp knife. Lay the cardboard on one 



