comstock] SEPTEMBER NATURE-STUDY 289 



grow over the ripening seeds and the bracts form a many-pointed 

 collar; draw back the protecting sepals, and there are the little flat 

 disk-like seeds, set in a row around a central disc. The bees are 

 so devoted to the hollyhock that they often cuddle down in the 

 closing flower and remain there all night ; and it is impossible in an 

 ordinary garden to keep the varieties pure. We started with five 

 varieties in our garden four years ago, and the bees have hybridized 

 them so that now we have ten or fifteen varieties. 



The sunflower — This is the first lesson on the composites, those 

 interesting flowers that live together in families. Those members 

 of the flower family that cluster around the outside, wave banners 

 to attract insects, while those at the center just attend to the busi- 

 ness of ripening seeds. For this lesson get a large sunflower, just 

 opened. Place its stem in a vase of water and have the pupils 

 take notes each day on the process of blossoming. It takes a week 

 or ten days for a big sunflower to blossom all its flowers, beginning 

 at the rim and moving toward the center. 



Pp. 631-5. Plant Notebook, Comstock, pp. 94-96. 



The sunflower lessons should be six in number: (1) obs. 2, p. 364. 

 (2) obs. 3. (3) obs. 4. (4) obs. 1, 5, 6, 7. (5) obs. 8. 9. (6) obs. 

 10. The notes for the entire week should be taken according to 

 obs. 7. The study of the sunflower should form a foundation to 

 the October study of the asters, daisies, and goldenrod. 



The katydid or the snowy tree cricket — For the lesson on these 

 little fiddlers, the live insects should be studied in the schoolroom. 

 They may each be put separate in cricket cages, and fed with bits 

 of fresh melon rind or of pears, sweet apples or peaches. For mak- 

 ing cricket cage, see p. 375. The questions should be given out a 

 few at a time for the pupils to observe at recess; or the cage may 

 be placed on the desk of a pupil as soon as other lessons are com- 

 pleted. For the katydid lesson, see p. 320, — for snowy cricket 

 lesson, see p. 377. For both of these insects, use p. 376, obs. 3,4, 

 5; obs. 2,3, 4, 5, 8, 10, pp. 368-9. 



References: Manual of Insects, Comstock, p. 113; Insects, 

 Kellogg, p. 149; Ways of the Six-Footed, Comstock, pp. 18, 20. 



