STATS POMOLOGICAt, SOCIETY. 9$ 



college ; it takes all of their time and strength to earn a living, 

 clothe their children and send them to school. They expect the 

 schools to furnish the required knowledge. I was once talking 

 of this very thing with an acquaintance who was a superinten- 

 dent of a normal school, and I lamented the fact that we had no 

 kindergarten schools in the country. He answered, "Your 

 children, upon your farms, will get a better kindergarten train- 

 ing than any they could get in a city." I did not believe him. 

 I had much work to do, like all busy mothers, and felt a little 

 guilty to leave a floor unswept and dingy windows, to go into the 

 woods with the children, but as they grew older and I saw how 

 they remembered the names and habits of the birds and flowers 

 and butterflies whenever I took time to go with them, I began to 

 understand what that teacher meant. The knowledge they 

 gained from living things out under God's blue sky, was worth 

 far more to them than learning to use worsted, braid colored 

 straws, and fashion paper boxes. But we have always been 

 hampered for lack of reference books, and some aim or leader 

 in study. Quite recently, however, I have learned of something 

 which I believe is going to open up a most delightful and helpful 

 course of study. It is a free course in Nature Study or any 

 branch of agriculture, by correspondence, for both parents and 

 children. This has been conducted for several years at the 

 Cornell University Agricultural Experiment Station, Ithaca, 

 N. Y., and a similar course has more recently been opened by 

 the Experiment Station at Kingston, R. I, The directors advise 

 what books are best to study for different branches, and mem- 

 bers of the school can purchase them of the publishers at quite 

 a discount from regular prices. The college also issues monthly 

 or quarterly bulletins and lessons, while questions and directions 

 are freely exchanged by mail. 



Now for a few practical suggestions for mothers in teaching 

 these Nature Studies at home. For germination, the best object 

 lesson is to lay a thin layer of cotton batting upon a tumbler of 

 water, place two or three beans upon the cotton and lay a little 

 more cotton on it. The beans will soon swell and the process of 

 germination can be plainly watched. By changing the water 

 occasionally the vines will often grow two feet and blossom. 



