Rural School Leafleif. 



S«S 



the trees of wayside plants or animal life that we mention, but if not, 

 substitute something you can find and if you want to learn something 

 about it, ask us to help you. 



The Tree. Let us begin with a beech tree. Every boy and girl 

 knows how it looks. If you do not you will be sure to find someone in 

 your neighborhood who does. 

 A real naturalist makes ef- 

 fort to learn all he can from 

 actual things and from mak- 

 ing inquiry of persons who 

 know more than he. Visit a 

 beech tree. It will be best if 

 your teacherwill take the class 

 to visit one. She will be glad 

 to do this if you do not make 

 the trip hard for her. Do not 

 ask questions while you are 

 out of doors. Try to get all 

 the information you can from 

 the tree itself. 



Observations on the Beech 

 Tree. Note the smooth, close 

 knit, gray bark that covers 

 the trunk; the dark branches; 

 the slender twigs. Sometime 

 during the year note the buds 

 that have been compared to 

 bird's claws. If you enter 

 a beech wood note whether 

 there is any odor that comes 

 from the trees. Watch dur- 

 ing the entire year for the 

 blossom time and for the 

 time when the fruit can be 

 gathered. 



You will find the beech-nuts in October. Note the four-valved burr 

 and the nuts inside it. Note whether the beech-nut has a thin or 

 thick shell. How does the kernel taste? Make a collection of all the 

 nuts you can find. Compare them with the beech-nuts. 



What color are the leaves of the beech during the autumn? Some- 

 time in February let me know whether you have found that the beeches 



Impatiens or touch-me-not. 



