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AMERICAN FORESTRY 



If one of the trees to be studied was available nearby 

 then outdoor study was the method used. To teach trees 

 in a limited time indoors so that they may be recognized 

 in the open requires careful lesson planning, and the use 

 of much illustrative material. This material consisted of 

 medium sized branches of trees; collections of nuts and 

 tree seeds ; wood sections and pieces of bark and pictures. 



PTHE OAK TREE 



Lr*l " 



population became interested in trees in order to answer 

 the questions of the children. So many questions and so 

 much information awaited the nature study teachers that 

 frequently the time for the new lesson was much 

 shortened. 



The following topics of study on the oak will illus- 

 trate the nature of both home work and class work : 



THE OAK 



White Oak Group Bark and wood light ; acorns on 

 this year's wood; leaves with rounded lobes without 

 spines. 



Red Oak Group Bark and wood dark ; acorns on last 

 year's wood ; lobes of leaves with spines. 



Sudworth's Check List of the trees of the United 

 States, Bulletin 17, United States Forest Service, gives 

 seventy-three kinds of native oaks, fifteen of which are 



A CHART OX THE OAK 



School children showing the distribution, the wood and the uses of 

 the oak in the national tree voting contest. 



The latter were obtained from the American Forestry 

 Association, United States Forest Service and from 

 magazines. Wood sections and specimens of bark were 

 gathered in suburban sections where real estate operators 

 were "improving" land by felling trees. The tree plant- 

 ing department granted permission to the teachers to cut 

 sprays from the street trees in order that every class 

 might have a spray of each kind studied, to press and 

 mount on herbarium paper. The teachers aimed to 

 teach about two trees in a lesson as teaching by compari- 

 son covers ground in tree work. Leaf arrangement, 

 shape, color, fruits, bark of both old and young wood ; 

 sha]>e of tree; its value in street planting were matters 

 of observation. 



At the close of each lesson assignments were given to 

 committees of children to be completed before the next 

 visit of the nature study teacher. These assignments sent 

 the children to all parts of the city, after school and on 

 Saturdays, for first-hand information; others referred 

 them to books. Within a very short time the supply of 

 books in the Public Library was exhausted. The adult 



LEAVES AND WOOD OF THE OAK 



Another form of chart prepared by the Washington, D. C, school chil- 

 dren in the study of the oak and its uses. 



around the District of Columbia. To know one-half of 

 the Districts' oaks does not seem too much for an eighth 

 grade pupil. 



Distribution The Check List shows the oak growing 

 in every State but Idaho, Montana and Wyoming. 



Qualities of the Oak Great height ; sturdiness due to 

 strength of fiber ; two kinds of roots give power to with- 

 stand storms ; silver grain. 



Insects that live on the oak. 



Uses of the Oak How we use it for bedroom furni- 

 ture, staircase, interior finishing, dining room furniture, 

 desks, bookcases, tanning leather, in street cars, passenger 



