1 76 Lessons in Nature Study. 



tree," were learned. The grammar class was given this 

 stanza for parsing and analysis on the same day. Pupils 

 were asked to be on the lookout for another kind of tree 

 whose bark resembles that of the birch. This was to intro- 

 duce the wild cherry, with its rich, shining, red bark and 

 valuable wood. 



X. 



Interest in trees was now becoming so great that several 

 uncommon trees were observed, drawn, and described by 

 various pupils. 



The following description and the accompanying drawing 

 were done by a pupil whose interest in trees had become 

 very marked : 



The Persimmon-tree. 



(Description and drawing by Robert Lum.) 



This persimmon-tree grows in Mrs. Day's pasture near Black 

 Brook. It is really two large trees springing from the same 

 root. The trunks are very straight and give off but few 

 branches. 



The bark is rough and cracked somewhat like an oak bark. 

 The wood is tough and light-colored. The branches are irregu- 

 lar and some of them are very much bent. 



The little branches and twigs are crooked. The leaves are 

 shaped like cherry-leaves, but the veins are not much like the 

 veins of the cherry-tree. The veins are crooked like the branches. 

 They bend around and come back again to the mid-rib. Only 

 a few veins go out to the margin. 



I never saw the flowers of this tree, but the fruit is very good 

 after frost comes. Before frost the fruit tastes like alum. 



Suggestion to the Teacher. In concluding this series of 

 lessons on trees I am led to make some general remarks 

 upon the study of woods and barks. In the beginning it is 

 well to have a few kinds of wood to study. Any large boy 

 will procure several varieties, and any carpenter can supply 

 numerous kinds to start with. 



Preparation. Pieces two or three inches in diameter and 

 six to eight inches long may be sawn from branches of trees. 

 These should be thoroughly dried for a long time to prevent 

 checking. When dried, cross-sections should be made one 

 inch thick, and each section should then be cut through the 



