SECOND GRADE WINTER WORK 97 



What would be the effect if the leaves should remain on 

 deciduous trees till heavy snowstorms come? How do 

 the evergreens contrive to get rid of the loads of snow that 

 fall upon them? 



Bring out the fact that the evergreen branches are 

 nearly at right angles to the trunk, so that they will 

 not have to bend downward so far to cause the snow to 

 slide off; that they are short near the top of the tree 

 and get large by degrees toward the bottom, and form suc- 

 cessive umbrella-like layers so arranged around the trunk 

 that the snow falls only on the tips of the branches, which 

 most easily bend. The leaves, too, are small and needle- 

 shaped, and not adapted, like the deciduous leaves, to catch 

 loads of snow. 



Break a twig of each, and prove before the class how much 

 tougher is the evergreen twig; the snow cannot break it. 

 The acute angle of the poplar twig, for example, causes it 

 to bend almost double if loaded with snow, and, being brittle, 

 it is almost sure to break. 



An untimely snowstorm, a few years ago, so stripped 

 seventy-five Lombardy poplar trees in a certain locality, 

 that they resembled telephone poles the next day. 



LESSON XXI 

 A SNOWSTORM 



When weather conditions indicate an approaching snow- 

 storm, have the pupils make a special study of the condi- 

 tions. Which way does the wind blow? What kind of 

 clouds are most abundant? What is the temperature? 

 Note also the height of the barometer, if there is one in 



NAT. STUDY 7 



