SCHOOL COURSES. 25 



a small portion of the stem of garden cress with a few leaves upon 

 it. Thoroughly dry one of the tumblers and fill up another with 

 water. The sprig with the cardboard is to be placed in the water 

 and the dry tumbler inverted over it. A similar arrangement is to 

 be made with the two remaining tumblers, but in this case no plant 

 is introduced. The whole to be placed in a good light and moder- 

 ately warm place. Compare results after a time. The scholars 

 will draw the apparatus and write out : 



Water passes through the plant from below upwards, 

 coming out again at the leaves. 



Experiment. Repeat the above experiment on another occasion 

 with a pot plant. Water the soil carefully. Slit the cardboard 

 and pass it round the stem, afterwards gumming the slit, and closing 

 the opening around the stem with vaseline. Invert a dry tumbler 

 and await results. As in the foregoing experiment set up a control 

 pot in which there is no plant. Scholars will again draw the appa- 

 ratus, and after satisfactory verification will write out : 



Water, from the soil, passes through the plant, coming 

 out again at the leaves. 



Fact grasped by the child : The transpiration of plants. 



A further step may now be taken by an appeal to the 

 child's knowledge of the fact that water dissolves many 

 substances, e.g. sugar or salt, and a demonstration may be 

 given to show that it dissolves various mineral salts found 

 in the soil. The inference may therefore be suggested that 

 some substances are carried up from the soil in the water 

 passing through the plant. The proof that these sub- 

 stances do not pass through with the water must be left to 

 a later period. 



Examine some early plants such as Snowdrop, Daffodil, 

 Hyacinth, as illustrations of an easily observed modifica- 

 tion of a part ; in this case, the leaves forming the bulb. 

 Cut up an onion so as to demonstrate the parts, in par- 

 ticular the thickened, colourless, fleshy,* food-containing 

 leaves. A comparison may be made with an ordinary leaf 

 bud. Suggest the value of storing food for future use. 

 Note in particular early flowering plants which store : 

 Early Purple Orchis, Lesser Celandine, Crocus, and the 

 others named above, with a demonstration in each case of 



