ago grew very well but the chickens 

 found them and they were destroyed 

 before 1 discovered the harm the> 

 had done. 



I will close now. hoping all the chil- 

 dren belonging to the Junior Agricul- 

 turist club will have good luck with 

 their plants. I am your junior friend. 

 F'LORA Mac DONALD. 



Salada Beach, April 30, 1912. 

 * * * 



Dear Sir: I am a member of the 

 Junior Agriculturist and I received 

 vour letter stating that you would like 

 "to hear from me. The reason I did 

 not write sooner was because I was 

 waiting for my vegetables and flowers 

 to sprout. I planted the following 

 seeds: Carrots, radishes, kale, lettuce, 

 onions and potatoes. The flower 



seeds are: Sweet William, sweet peas, 

 daisies and California poppies. They 

 are all growing nicely now. I have 

 not received an issue of the Junior 

 Agriculturist since March 14, 1912, and 

 I would like to receive it regularly. 



As I am a pupil of the Hunters 

 Point school I have my garden at home. 

 The reason the pupils have no garden 

 at our school is because the soil is very 

 sterile and will not produce any crops. 

 Hoping to receive my paper regularly. 

 Yours truly, MAY DONOHUE. 



San Francisco, April 16, 1912. 



little gullies, and muddy streams came 

 tearing down. If there were a farm at 

 the bottom of the mountain it would 

 be flooded. If there were a farm at 

 the bottom of the forest side it would 

 not be flooded out because there was 

 nothing but a clear little stream there. 



Our Bulbs 



BY FREDERICK BYRNES, 

 Seventh Grade, Pitta School 



The bulbs we planted last fall have 

 all blossomed except one. One did not 

 bloom because it was planted too deep. 

 The largest bulb grew 29 inches high 

 and the blossom was four inches in di- 

 ameter. Each bulb had two blossoms, 

 while one had three and another four 

 blossoms. After tne blossoms had died 

 we cut the leaves off about four inches 

 above the ground. 



We are now watering them very 

 sparingly waiting for the remaining 

 leaves to die. When they die we will 

 place the can and bulbs in a cool, dry 

 place. 



Next October we will prepare a place 

 outside, take the bulbs out of the 

 cans, separate and plant them about 

 six inches apart. 



An Experiment 



MILDRED TAYLOR, 

 Oakland. 5 B Grade, Franklin School 



A few days ago we tried an experi- 

 ment on our zinc lined sand table to 

 show that forests prevent erosion of 

 the soil. 



A few children made a mound of 

 earth very solid, two feet in diameter 

 and one and a half feet in height, to 

 represent a mountain. Our teacher put 

 some moss and little twigs in the 

 ground to represent a forest and left 

 the other sides bare. She took a 

 sprinkling can and held it about two 

 feet high and let the water come down 

 as if it were rain. 



The results were the barren side had 



JIMMY RINERART, 

 Oakland. 5 B Grade, Franklin School 



A few days ago we tried an experi- 

 ment on our zinc lined sand table to 

 show that forests prevent erosion of 

 the soil. 



First, we made a mound of earth two 

 feet in diameter and one and a half 

 feet high. This mound was packed 

 hard. Next on one of the sides we 

 stuck in pine twigs to represent trees. 

 and moss to represent underbrush. 

 Then we took a sprinkling can and 

 sprinkled water on the top of the 

 mound to represent rain. 



The result was that the barren side 

 had all the good, fertile soil and some 

 of the pebbles washed down to its base, 

 while the side with the forest was 

 just the same, only under the growth 

 the ground was soaked. 



This happened in the Sacramento val- 

 ley on a larger scale when the moun- 

 tain forests were cut down. Before the 

 forests Were cut down, steamers used to 

 go up the Sacramento river almost to 

 Shasta, and now they can go only about 

 half this distance. The reason for this 

 is that since the forests have been cut 

 the heavy rains have washed down fl'ne 

 soil and loosened boulders, which, com- 

 ing down, have filled up the river bed. 



Reading List 



1. "Tree Stories." — L. E. Mulets. 



2. "Little Brothers of the Air" — Mil- 

 ler. 



3. Pacific Nature Stories — H. Wag- 

 ner. 



TREE STORIES 



Edith Warness. 

 The book entitled "Tree Stories" is 

 written by Lenore E. Mulets. It is 

 very interesting. Some of the pupils 

 in our class told the stories about the 

 oak tree and the pussy willows. The 

 following are some of the stories in 

 the book: "Why the Poplar Branches 

 Turn Upward," "Why the Aspen Leaves 

 Always Tremble," and "Why Some 

 Trees are Always Green." 



Since the sweet peas are maturing so 

 slowly, the awards will be made in July 

 at a potato bake to be held at the Ber- 

 keley garden city. All contestants are 

 invited to attend. Potatoes, radishes, 

 lettuce, etc., will be furnished, but vis- 

 itors will be asked to bring cakes and 

 pies. The potatoes will be baked on the 

 grounds by individuals and groups. We 

 are looking forward to a good time. No- 

 tice of the exact date for shipment of 

 the peas and for the bake will be given 

 later. 



