Rural School Leaflet 1345 



and a simple comparison of leaf, fruit, and the like, will make a good 

 beginning in this work. 



2 . The boys and girls should be encouraged to talk about the woods — 

 where they arc, to whom they belong, how large they are, what is being 

 done with them. The children will begin to see the woodlot in a new 

 light. They will realize that some one cares about the trees, and they 

 will bring to the schoolroom not only specimens, but also observations 

 and information. 



3. Economic interest in forestry may be stimulated by some sug- 

 gestions, such as the following: How logs are taken to mill; to workshop; 

 the value of this to the farmer and to men in mill and workshop; how 

 the workers spend their money to buy produce, hay and feed, provisions 

 for their homes, and the like. Let the pupils follow up these considera- 

 tions to a discussion of big markets, transportation, and general manufac- 

 ture, and lead them to see what timber and the products of the woods 

 mean to people. 



Help the boys and girls to realize how the forest influences rainfall; 

 the springs and the rivers ; how it keeps the land from gullying and washing ; 

 how it breaks the force of cold and drying winds, and therefore helps 

 the farm crops. Also develop an appreciation of trees and shrubs and 

 woods as the great decorative feature in the landscape. 



The economic losses due to waste land will be of value in discussions 

 of forestry. Any farm boy or girl readily appreciates that there is loss 

 every time an acre of land is allowed to lie unused during a growing season, 

 and that this loss is real, immediate, and irredeemable, and may be 

 measured by the value of the crop that the land could grow. The amount 

 of this loss in the vicinity and township leads up to a few figures regarding 

 the county and the State, and brings home the importance of this subject. 



4. In many ways the teacher can help the pupils to realize the pleasure 

 that comes from trees and woods — the shade and shelter about the house 

 and on the highway, the place for camping, berrying, and nutting, for 

 finding w41d flowers, birds, squirrels, rabbits, and other interesting animal 

 life, for fishing and other outdoor experiences. The children may also be 

 taught that it is a duty to try to keep the farm, the township, and the 

 county as beautiful and homelike as possible, and that the trees help 

 in this. 



5. The pupils should be encoiu-aged to gather tree seeds, to plant 

 forest and shade trees and shrubs, and to trim, thin, and protect them; 

 these processes are all so intimately connected with farm work that very 

 little teaching, in the ordinary sense, is required. Every farm boy of 

 twelve knows how and where to gather a few nuts, acorns, seeds of maple, 

 ash, and the like. He also knows how to sow or plant seeds, and how to 



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