52 THE THIRD YEARBOOK 



the history of a dandelion from its earliest sprout to the seed. This 

 history finds an interesting parallel in the docks, thistle, cinquefoil, 

 and many other plants that are in almost every vacant spot of 

 ground. 



In Pig. 3 the story of germination is told in a series of paintings 

 illustrating the growth of the ragweed which infested a vacant lot 

 adjacent to the schoolhouse. These plants were observed through 

 the spring ; and in the autumn, when school reopened, the children 

 again went to the lot and finished the history by studying and 

 representing the full-grown plant with ripened seed. 



It has taken teachers a long time to find out how much more 

 interesting it is to study germination when all creation is sprouting 

 than it is when observations must be confined solely to window- 

 boxes. The latter may supplement, but they should not take the 

 place of, outdoor study. By the latter means only, when the plants 

 are starting under natural conditions, is it possible for the pupils 

 to find out the fundamental facts in germination. A seed repre- 

 sents a plant in a state of isolation. Germination and growth mean 

 the establishment of definite relations with heat, moisture, and 

 light. When the proper degree of heat is reached, the plantlet 

 establishes relations with moisture, which it finds in the soil, by 

 means of a root. A little later it forms its relationship with light 

 by means of stem and leaf. The relative importance of these two 

 relationships is indicated by the measurements of root and stem. 

 Later, as the plant develops, the part that the leaf plays in the 

 plant's adaptation to varying quantities of heat and moisture also 

 appears. 



The study of germination in this manner includes observations 

 on the temperature of the soil at difil'erent depths, the moisture in 

 the soil, the temperature of the air, and the distribution of sunshine 

 and rainfall. 



Another interesting detail of the landscape which may be studied 

 in the same way is the development of branches, flowers, and leaves 

 from buds. Fig. 4 shows such a record made by fifth-grade pupils 

 from a study of various trees in the neighborhood. This history 

 shows that in taking up the work of a new season the plants form 

 a regular procession, in time, in which each has a tolerably well- 

 defined place. 



The bud, like the seed, has several interesting problems to solve. 



