PART SECOND 



I 



THE TREES OF OUR WOODS 



INTRODUCTION 



1. Trees add much beauty to our farms, to cities and 

 parks ; their wood is of much use to us for fuel, lumber, 

 and furniture ; they furnish the necessary wind-breaks on 

 thousands of prairie farms; they are the homes of the 

 birds, and they shelter small and large game; and, most 

 important of all, they exercise a beneficial influence upon 

 the climate of the whole country. For these reasons they 

 should occupy a prominent place in any plan of Nature 

 Study. 



The plan followed here suggests that the trees, common 

 in the neighborhood of the school, be studied three times : 

 First, in their winter condition, when the characteristic 

 modes of branching and the forms and arrangement of buds 

 can be best observed ; second, when they are in bloom ; and 

 third, when leaves and fruits are fully developed. The 

 pupils should be directed to observe the different trees, 

 shrubs, and vines, from very early spring until they again 

 appear in their winter condition. Children, as well as 

 grown people, are easily interested in the doings of animals 

 and plants and in the process of their growth, while a mere 

 description is generally of interest to the specialist only. 



The number of trees native to the forests of North 



123 



