Rural School Leaflet 1295 



Numerous cases are reported in which it has been eaten for artichoke. 

 The roots of water hemlock secrete a yellowish, pungent oil which should 

 warn any one who might mistake it; and, besides, the position of the 

 roots in the two plants is different. In artichoke, the roots are attached 

 to the parent plant at the narrower end and by spring are usually separated 

 by decay; while in water hemlock the roots are clustered with the larger 

 ends together and remain near each other. 



The leaves of water hemlock are two or three times pinnate, the 

 lower ones being on long stems. The leaflets have notched margins, 

 are about three times as long as broad, and are comparatively long pointed. 

 The fruits are about one eighth of an inch long and are borne in the 

 characteristic compound umbel. Poisoning by this plant generally 

 results in death. 



A WORD ABOUT AN HERBARIUM 

 The Editors 



Nearly all boys and girls take an interest in making collections of 

 flowers, and it is wise to encourage them to become familiar with the wild 

 flora of the neighborhood by collecting and pressing different plants that 

 grow in the woods and along the wayside. 



In order to be of the greatest value, the herbaceous specimens should 

 show the entire plant including the root. It requires much labor 

 and experience to press an entire plant, however, and therefore in the 

 beginning it might be well to encourage children to make small pressed 

 specimens of the blcssoms. These specimens are attractive and fre- 

 quently increase the interest of the children if they are mounted and 

 named after they have been thoroughly dried. They can be used, for 

 review work in learning the names of the common plants found about 

 the school and farm home. 



In one rural school some very remarkable specimens of pressed flowers 

 were made with ordinary materials that are at hand in any community. 

 The teacher had two stiong boards, a good collection of newspapers, 

 and a large stone to be used in pressing the plants. The boys and girls 

 were asked to bring a few specimens each day, of which not more than 

 twelve were used. The specimens were placed between the newspapers 

 and the newspapers were gathered in a pile. One of the boards was 

 placed beneath the pile of papers, and the other on the top. The large 

 stone was then used for a weight. 



In this work the pupils were taught that in order to obtain good her- 

 barium specimens the plants must be dried quickly and thoroughly. 

 The children soon realized the importance of changing the newspapers fre- 

 quently until the moisture was entirely removed from the plants. The 

 specimens were then mounted on white drawing paper. 



