t82 THE NATURE-STUDY REVIEW [s: 7 — oct., i9 o 9 



All this had taken time. We had spent only a few minutes each 

 day but many days elapsed before we could tell and write what 

 we had seen and learned. The following composition was the 

 result of the efforts of the class. Each paragraph represents the 

 work of several days of nature-study. 



"The cottonwood tree grows in nearly every part of the United 

 States. It grows best near the water. In Nebraska it is found 

 near the streams. The Indians used to burn the grass every 

 year and they killed the little trees on the plains. This tree is 

 sometimes eighty feet tall and the largest are fifteen feet around. 

 It is the largest of our native trees. It grows where other trees 

 cannot. It grows quickly. 



"The roots of the cottonwood trees are large, long and spread- 

 ing. They are about as long as the tree is tall. They have lots of 

 work to do. They drink up water and food from the ground. 

 If they did not, the tree would die. 



"There are two kinds of cottonwood trees. One belongs to Mr. 

 Cottonwood, the other to Mrs. Cottonwood. 1 



' 'Last fall Mr. and Mrs. Cottonwood were very busy putting their 

 babies to bed. Each baby was about as large as a pin-head. 

 Each was wrapped in several green blankets. They were inside 

 brown cone-shaped cradles. They were glued in tight. They 

 were told not to wake up until Spring. Mr. Wind rocked the 

 cradles all winter. The babies slept soundly. 



"All this time the cottonwood babies were growing. By March 

 30th they were as large at little worms. The warm sun knocked 

 at the door and said, "Come out and play." The first week in 

 April they kicked off the blankets and cradles and came out. 

 We saw the cradles lying on the ground. Up in Mr. Cotto- 

 wood's tree there were red tassels or catkins. They were about 

 five inches long. They make the tree look very pretty. When 

 we shook these catkins some yellow dust came out. This was 

 pollen. Mrs. Cottonwood's tree was covered with green tassels. 

 They were smaller than the red ones. The wind took the pollen 

 from the red tassels and gave it to the green ones. Then the 

 green tassels turned into seeds. The seeds looked like green 

 currants. The red tassels are all gone now. The green tassels 



['Probably the majority of science teachers will critize the use of Mr. 

 and Mrs. in this and the two paragraphs which follow, but such methods 

 have the approval of many excellent teachers of young children .] 



R.M. 



