75*5 "Home Nature-Stud\' Course. 



(3). Cut into a closed nut and observe the extreme hardness and 

 strength of the inner shell. 



(4). Where are the seeds situated? 



(5). Describe the color and marking of the seeds; are they rough or 

 smooth ? 



(6). How far have you known the witch-hazel to throw its seeds? 



(7). Study the nut and try to discover how it throws the seeds so far. 



Facts for the Teacher. — The nuts seem to require a sharp frost to separate the 

 closely joined parts; it requires a complete year to mature them. One of these 

 nuts is about a half an inch long and covered with a velvety green outer husk 

 until the frost turns it brown ; cutting into it discloses a yellowish-white inner 

 shell which is as hard as a bone ; within this are the two brown seeds each with 

 a white dot ; note particularly that these seeds lie in close fitting cells. When 

 looked at thus they have an odd resemblance to a grotesque monkey-like face with 

 stanng eyes. Frosty nights will open the shells and the dry warmth of sunny days 

 or of the heated schoolroom will cause the edges of the cups which hold the seeds 

 to curve inward with such force as to send the seed many feet away ; ordinarily 

 they are thrown from ten to twenty feet, but Hamilton Gibson records one actual 

 measurement of forty-five feet. The pupils should note that the surface of the 

 seeds is very polished and smooth, and the way they are discharged may be likened 

 to thai by which an orange seed is shot from between the fingers. 



References. — " Tree Book," Rogers ; " Our Northern Shrubs," Keeler ; 

 " Familiar Trees and Their Leaves," Mathews; " Field, Forest and Way- 

 side Botany," Gray. 



THE HICKORIES. 



Preliminary Work. — Give some account of their commercial and horti- 

 cultural value. Hickory wood ranks high in value ; it is light-colored, 

 close-grained, heavy and very durable when not exposed to moisture ; it 

 is capable of resisting immense strain ; therefore, it is used for the 

 handles of spades, plows and other tools and for spokes and thills in 

 carriage making. As a fuel it is superior to most woods, making a 

 glowing, hot and quite lasting fire. The fruit of one variety, the Shag- 

 bark, is the hickory-nut commonly found in the markets. Hickories 

 are common trees in many parts of New York, and with the sweet- 

 meated varieties in any locality the boys of their neighborhood may be 

 trusted to be well acquainted. It is a good plan for class and teacher 

 to make a personal visit to such trees as are within walking distance 

 of the school, for purposes of study and comparison of likeness and 

 difference. 



