140 NATURE STUDY AND LIFE 



any plants that it may be desirable to study. Each group 

 of teachers, of course, will have to decide on the exact 

 list of plants best suited to the locality. Three of these 

 blanks will probably be found useful, one for flowers and 

 ornamental plants, one for the vegetable garden, and one 

 for fruits ; but by including fewer varieties these may be 

 all printed on a single blank. However, in the present 

 low condition of our horticultural life, the printing of as 

 many names of plants as possible may serve as a most 

 valuable means of calling the attention of the children to 

 desirable varieties to plant. 



In graded schools these blanks might be passed along 

 to the teacher in the next higher grade as the children are 

 promoted. (See next page.) 



The object of the lessons should be simply the culture 

 of flowers with reference to the highest enjoyment of them. 

 With blanks properly filled out the teacher has in hand 

 the resources of the class for future lessons. Plan with 

 reference to seasons of blooming and planting, begin with 

 such as the greatest number of children have, invite them 

 to bring in of each kind enough, if practicable, to supply 

 the class and teacher with specimens, including buds, 

 open blossoms, and seeds. Some of these may be kept 

 in the school collection. Then let the children recite on 

 methods of culture, compare notes as to best methods, 

 appealing to quality of the specimens in hand, discuss form 

 and colors, enjoy together the fragrance, and call out any- 

 thing that the children have noted as to the insects or hum- 

 ming birds that visit the flower. Finally, question the class 

 about the insect enemies that make culture of the plant 

 difficult, and the fungi, blights, and mildews that attack it. 



