vi Preface 



if free use is to be made of fresh material. The supplies 

 necessary for each lesson are clearly indicated. But 

 the lessons have also been adapted (and this is a 

 much more difficult adaptation) to the school year and, 

 again, to the different years in use at different schools. 

 For Secondary schools beginning with new classes in 

 September, the book begins at Chapter I. But, if some 

 Primary schools rearrange classes at Easter, the lessons 

 may begin under the stimulus of the spring at 

 Chapter XIII, and afterwards pass from Chapter XIV 

 in summer to Chapter I at the beginning of autumn. 

 Or, if some other schools make promotions in January, 

 it will do equally well to start at Chapter VII and work 

 round the year to Chapter VI in December. 



A special effort has been made to assign as much 

 work as possible to the winter months, and thus to 

 meet the difficulties of any school time-table which 

 allots a uniform number of hours per week to Nature 

 Study, hours insufficient to cope with the splendour 

 of the spring, hours harder to fill in the gloom of 

 November. In this way, it is possible to treat some 

 aspects of the many-sided interests aroused by trees 

 which would have been crowded out by lessons intended 

 only for the summer term. 



The serious inquiries now being made into National 

 Afforestation show that we may have to enlist the 

 sympathy of boys and girls in the planting and pro- 

 tection of new woodlands. The festival of Arbor Day 

 might well be transplanted from America to the rural 

 schools of the British Isles. A chapter on Forestry and 

 tree planting will, therefore, be welcome. In the revision 

 of this we have had the assistance of Mr S. Burtt Meyer, 

 of York, a trained forester. To him. our thanks are 



