22 



NATURAL HISTORY OF THE FARM 



doubt it ? Their tastes have a wider range than ours. Wax- 

 wings like cedar berries, and crows eat freely the fruit of 

 poison ivy. The close-growing habit of wild bush fruits 

 gives congenial shelter and nesting sites, also, to many of 

 the smaller birds. 



From all the foregoing it should appear that a little study 

 of the natural history of the wild fruits in any locality will 

 reveal much concerning the origin and the environing condi- 

 tions of one of our valuable resources. 



Study 2. Edible Wild Fruits 

 Program The first part of this 

 study is a comparative examination 

 of the wild fruits of the farm. The 

 fruits are to be sought in nature, ex- 

 amined carefully one at a time, and 

 their characters are to be written in 

 the columns of a table prepared with 

 headings as indicated in pp. 20 and 

 21. The fruits named in the first 

 column are those commonly found 

 about Ithaca - N - Y - in autumn. 

 Earlier in the season, or in another 

 region, the list would be very different. 



The second part of this study is a comparison of individuals 

 of one kind of wild fruit, such as hawthorns, wild grape, or any 

 other that is abundant, with a view to discovering natural 

 varieties. Half a dozen or more selected trees, bearing 

 number-labels, 1,2, 3, etc., should have their fruits carefully 

 compared as to (i) quality of flesh (as tested by palatability 

 at this date); (2) proportion of edible pulp (as compared 

 with seeds, skin and other waste) ; (3) earliness ; (4) size and 

 form; (5) productiveness; (6) immunity from fungus and 

 insects, as evidenced by the cleanness of the fruit inside and 



