Other Botanical Lessons. 41 



such flowers as the daisy, dandelion, periwinkle, violet, 

 azalea, anemone, gentian, goldenrod, aster, rose, etc. When 

 the flower is not abundant, there may be at least a bouquet 

 on the teacher's desk. The programme may consist of selec- 

 tions from the poets relative to the flower to be honored, 

 interspersed with musical selections, and three or four of 

 the best written exercises of the children. The result of 

 such a programme can not fail to inspire both teachers and 

 pupils with a deeper love for nature. The children will 

 know the flowers and love them. They will be able to de- 

 scribe them and tell where they grow and how they live. 

 They will know what poets have said about them, and 

 knowing one plant intimately will enable them to learn 

 others more readily. 



OTHER BOTANICAL LESSONS. 



Roots form excellent material for nature lessons. 

 These are especially good, because they may be had at all 

 seasons. Thus in summer the plantain with its numerous 

 long white fibrous roots, the violets with their matted fibrous 

 roots, the short tap-roots of many weeds and vegetables 

 (cabbage, onion, etc.) are easily obtained and studied. But 

 in winter beets, carrots, parsnips, and sweet potatoes are to 

 be had. Turnips and carrots are also easily drawn and 

 colored, and all roots furnish materials for clay or papier- 

 mache modelling. 



Branching. Modes of branching may naturally fol- 

 low lessons on buds. They may be deferred until the fol- 

 lowing lessons on trees are taken up. Budding, branching, 

 and trees themselves are so closely related that it is always 

 advisable to treat them at or near the same time. 



Leaves. So much has been published on leaves that 

 it has not seemed advisable to the writer to outline any 

 special lessons upon them in this book. Every teacher 

 should have Miss Youmans' First Book in Botany as a guide 

 to all elementary lessons on plant-forms. The use of leaves 

 as elementary units of design is admirable. 



