1 6 Lessons in Nature Study. 



orange-groves, orange-flowers, etc., are valuable aids to such 

 lessons. 



III. True Berries. 



The orange differs from true berries in having a thick 

 separable skin and few seeds. Gooseberries, cranberries, 

 grapes, currants, and tomatoes are true berries, and, in their 

 season, are excellent for study. 



The cranberry is a most interesting fruit for winter study. 

 In this fruit each child should have five or six to work on. 

 They should be studied in the same manner as were the 

 foregoing, but the seeds are too small to claim more than a 

 passing notice at present. Cranberry culture is a good sub- 

 ject for a composition. In Maine, Massachusetts, New 

 Jersey, Wisconsin, and Michigan the cranberry is a very im- 

 portant article of export, and thousands of men, boys, and 

 girls earn their living by picking these berries for shipment. 

 Thousands of barrels of them are shipped every year to 

 Europe from this country. 



Tomatoes are so large as to be easily studied as typical 

 berries, />., fleshy fruit having seeds scattered through them. 



IV. Stone Fruits. 



Peaches, cherries, plums, and prunes, in their season, are 

 best, but dried prunes and apricots are better than none. 

 The country teacher may have recourse to the so-called 

 " berries " on the dogwood in the late fall. It is better to 

 study everything in its season. There is enough in this 

 season without resorting to dried fruits for material. If 

 you desire to give a course of nature studies on fruits, save 

 stone fruits till spring, when the first cherries are brought 

 in to the teacher. 



These cannot be cut through. The stone resists the 

 knife, but the flesh can be carefully cut away and examined, 

 as was done before. The seed in this case should be ex- 



