Rural School Leaflet 1095 



odor, and the strange little fern forms creeping out from among the 

 rocks — all have some story, and the young and patient observer can read it. 

 A good quest will be to find out how many different kinds of ferns you 

 can recognize. Notice how and where the spores, which correspond to 

 the seeds of flowering plants, appear on the ferns. Do you find them on 

 central spikes or on the backs of the fronds (leaves) ? Have you ever 

 found spores on cultivated fenis? Notice the differences in the way the 

 fronds are cut. Plant a small fem in soil from the woods in a dish on 

 the teacher's desk or on the table at home. There is no more attractive 

 centerpiece for the dining room table than a fem. 



4. Be able to tell us next year what you have done in helping to destroy 

 two of the most injurious insect pests, the house fly and the mosquito. 

 Read carefully the articles by Professor Herrick on the house fly and the 

 mosquito on page 1097. ^o harmful are these two pests that every one 

 should help to keep them in check. Ccnitinue your study of the tent cater- 

 pillar. Watch for the cocoons of the tent caterpillar, collect some of 

 them, and keep them until the fly-like parasites hatch, as was suggested 

 in the January leaflet, page 1052. The report to date on collecting the 

 egg rings is that 1,846 schools have collected 4,090,442 egg rings. Allow- 

 ing 150 eggs for each ring, 613,566,300 eggs have been destroyed. 



5. Learn one or more of the bird quotations in this leaflet, page 10.=; 5, 

 and you will be very glad some day that you have done this. 



6. Plant a tree or help to plant one. Take this piece of work seriously. 

 Plant the tree at the right time, in the right place, and be sure that the 

 tree is one that will be satisfactory when grown. See page 1078. You 

 have enjoyed the trees planted by others years before you were born — 

 the old apple-tree where the swing hangs, the maple or elm that gives 

 you shady places, the butternut tree, and the fine, old hickory. What 

 will you plant for others to enjoy? 



7. Graft a tree for your very own. Have your teacher or your father 

 help. Read directions for this on page 1071;. 



8. Plan to have your own grapevine. You will find interest in it even 

 if you have to wait two or three years for the fruit. Some day we are 

 planning to ask every boy and girl in the rural schools to plant a good 

 grapevine, and perhaps the report of your experience wiU help them. 

 You cannot plant your grapevine until fall, but there is always much to 

 be done before growing any new plant. You should know its habits of 

 growth, its favorite situation, the soil best adapted for it, and, above all, 

 the varieties that grow best in your locality. You probably know who 

 has the best grapes in the neighborhood. Consult the grower. The 

 article on the next page will help you to start the grapevine properly and 

 shotdd be read carefully. 



