i-> 



11 



Collections of Seeds and Dry Fruits. 



It is woith while to learn to know the seeds of noxious weeds that 

 are often mixed with the seed of grain, grass, or clover. These should 

 be collected and kept in suitable small bottles with proper labels. The 

 best vials for this purpose are of clear glass with wide necks and closed 

 by a metal screw-cap. Those holding 1 drachm are of suitable size, being 

 about 2 in. X i in and can be secured through local druggists at a cost 

 of 15 to 20 cents per dozen. 



These vjals are best shewn on sheets of cardboard to which they 

 are secured by loops of cord or elastic. Seeds must be quite ripe and 

 dry to prevent moulding, and the pods or heads should be enclosed as 

 well as the clean seed. 



The dry fruits of trees and shrubs are equally interesting and may 

 be fastened in the same way, or by means of glue or mucilage, on similar 

 cards. The keys of the Maples, the acorns with their cups, the winged 

 fruits of Ash, Ehn, and Pine all serve for important lessons on the re- 

 production of trees and the distribution of their seeds. Many Canalians 

 have never seen the seed of the Pine ; and many can see no connection 

 between the cones at the summit and the seedlings at the foot of the 

 giant of the forest. A collection of tree seeds carefully mounted and 

 named is an excellent lesson on forestry. 



Specimens of Wood. 



Sections of wood from the various kinds of trees form an interest- 

 ing and useful collection. These should be prepared in such a way as 

 to shew the bark, and two planed surfaces. The size should be 3 inches 

 in length by 1 inch in width, by | inch in thickness. Such pieces may 

 be neatly fastened on cards like those used for pressed plants and should 

 be labelled in the same way. 



It is better to use sections from the body wood of the trees, but 

 this is often inconvenient and the size given above can be very easily 

 secured from a branch without destroying the tree. Similar sections 

 shewing the work of insect borers or of woodpeckers may be mounted 

 in the same way and will be very useful. 



Collecting and Preserving Insects. 



Insects may be collected at all seasons of the year, but the best time 

 is undoubtedly the summer months. Many collectors find the moths and 

 butterflies most interesting on account of the extreme beauty 



