q-r./*V£;:l 



& 



Figure 3. 



figure 1. Plant wheat seeds in the sand 

 or sawdust. Add water. Watch the 

 roots. Why do they grow through the 

 screen first and then turn back? 



5. Get four boxes about 12x14 inches 

 in size. Prepare enough moist soil for 

 all. Plant the same kind of seeds (use 

 corn or peas) the same depth, in rows, 

 in each box. The rows should be four 

 inches apart. Sprinkle a pint of water 

 on one box of soil. Dig trenches be- 

 tween the rows in one of the boxes and 

 fill with the same amoun* of water. 

 Cover the trenches after the water 

 soaks in. Add the same amount of 

 water as needed to both boxes until 

 one quart has been used. Pull up a 

 few plants from each box and compare 

 the root growth. The sprinkled plants 

 will probably have roots near the sur- 

 face, while the others will have long 

 roots. Figure 2. Flood one box with 

 a quart of water. Give it the same 

 treatment as the others, but do not add 

 any more water. Make a hole in one 

 side of the last box. Insert a funnel 

 snugly figure 3). Pour into the soil 

 water as needed until one quart has 

 been used. This shows the method of 

 subirrigation. Which is the best way 

 to water the soil for plant growth? 

 How does a farmer subirrigate his 

 land? Observe the experiments daily, 

 and question 5 will probably be an- 

 swered correctly. 



correctly. Put one in the sunshine each 

 day after watering. Put the other in 

 the shade. Note results. 



7. Prepare two tomato cans of soil 

 that weigh the same. Add the same 

 amount of water to each. Each day, 

 some time after watering, stir the sur- 

 face of the soil in one can with a small 

 stick. Weigh every other day. Which 

 loses water the more rapidly? 



8. Line a tumbler, or fruit jar, with 

 black cloth and fill with sand or saw- 

 dust. Place seeds at different depths 

 between the cloth and the glass (figure 

 4). Moisten the contents of the tum- 

 blers. Note results daily. Which is 

 the best depth for the seeds? How 

 many times the diameter of the seed is 

 the best depth? 



9. Arrange corn and wheat seeds as 

 shown in figure 5, chapter 4. Put sev- 

 eral thicknesses of blotters between 

 the plates of glass. Observe the root 

 growth. Notice the surface roots (roots 

 near the seed) forming. 



It will take some time for each pupil 

 to set up these exercises at school. 

 Would it not be well to divide them 

 among the class? You could arrange at 

 least two experiments. Your neighbor 

 two and so on, and then all could tell 

 results. ¥ou could each perform all 

 the exercises at home. 



You must not get discouraged if your 

 experiments go wrong. "Try, try 

 again." 



THIS WEEK'S READING 

 LIST AND REVIEWS 



1. "Garden Book for Young People." 

 (Alice Lounsberry.) 



2. "Flowers Shown to Children." (J. 

 Kelman.) 



3. "Trees Every Child Should Know." 

 (J. Rodgers.) 



When Mother Lets Us Garden 



Oakland. 



EUNICE FONES, 

 Franklin School, B Fifth 

 Grade 



The book, "When Mother Lets Us 

 Garden," was written by Frances Dun- 

 can. 



It tells how to plant radishes, carrots, 

 turnips and many other vegetables. 



It also tells how to plant flowers. 



When you are planting your vege- 

 tables or flowers it is a good book to 

 have. 



Garden Fairies 



Figure 4. 



6. Fill two boxes with soil. Plant 

 seeds the same depth. Sprinkle both 



MILDRED TAYLOR, 



Oakland. Franklin School, B Fifth 



Grade 



"Garden Fairies," which was men- 

 tioned in The Junior Call not long ago, 

 is a very Interesting book. 



It tells of a little girl who was in a 

 hammock in her garden when a fairy 

 came to her and told her all about 



The fairy told her to think just of 

 the fairies that night when she went 

 to bed and she would see and dream 

 of a fairy wedding. This book would 

 be very interesting for other children 

 to read. 



