124 HANDBOOK OF NATURE STUDY 



America is very large, much, larger than the number of 

 species native to northern Europe. But in addition to our 

 native species, many European trees are frequently found 

 planted in our Eastern States ; so that it is often quite diffi- 

 cult to decide which species of tree one has before him, 

 although one need not be in doubt about the genus. If the 

 teacher is in doubt about the species, she should not give 

 a specific name, but should simply study and describe the 

 tree as an elm or a willow, as the case may be ; and be sure 

 that the pupils state what they actually see, and not what, 

 according to the teacher's book, they ought to see. If, for 

 instance, the European elm or the slippery elm is chosen 

 instead of the white elm, the description of the latter must 

 be- changed to apply to the tree under consideration. In 

 this book the sixth edition of Gray's " Manual " is followed 

 in the nomenclature. That Latin names are given for the 

 benefit of teachers only goes without saying. Gardeners, 

 farmers, and woodmen can generally identify our common 

 trees. However, quite frequently they apply different 

 common names to the same tree ; what one calls a red oak, 

 the other is likely to call a black oak. 



As far as practicable, trees should be observed in the 

 woods as well as in open places. It must not be forgotten 

 that the color of the bark and twigs, the mode of branch- 

 ing, the shape of the leaves, and especially the size of the 

 tree vary somewhat with local conditions. Many of our 

 common trees attain their largest size in the forests of Ohio, 

 Indiana, and Kentucky, decreasing in size further north and 

 west. Trees which predominate in our Northern forests are 

 not so common in the South. Sometimes they grow there 

 only on the mountains, or are not found at all. 



Let the children observe that the snow still remains in 

 the woods, in groves, and under brush, after it has disap- 

 peared from the open fields. They must also observe that 



