Rural School Leaflet 



1341 



slipper {Cypripedium pubescens), wake robin (Trillium grandiflorum) , 

 dog-tooth violet (Erythroiiium americamun), and many other native 

 speeies, develop and flower perfectly under house conditions. Every 

 country boy knows the habitat of these woodland flowers, and Mother 

 Nature has such an abundance that a few tal-cen from the woodland will 

 not exhaust the supply. The plants should be gathered from the woods 

 before the ground freezes, 'and potted in some sort of a receptacle. They 

 should then be allowed to freeze solidly several times before they are planted 

 in the window boxes. A moderate temperatirre and a liberal supply of 

 water, will then cause them to develop rapidly, and the results are most 

 gratifying. As a rule, these plants adapt themselves better to the varying 

 temperattxres of the schoolroom than do the more tender species from the 

 garden and the greenhouse. Most of the native ferns are adapted for 

 growing in the window box, especially where there is only northern light. 

 It is not expected that all the foregoing suggestions will be carried 

 out in any one school. Some conditions may permit only outdoor bulb 

 planting ; in other locations outdoor window boxes alone may be feasible ; 

 while in others, indoor window gardening or work with bulbs may form 

 the basis for plant study. In or about every school in the State there 

 should be some ornamental plant life, and the children should be taught 

 the value of the beauty of simplicity. 



The tulip bed on the school grounds 



