V 

 IN THE FIELD. JUNE TO SEPTEMBER 



NOTE. The teacher should modify and change this introduction 

 to suit the season and local conditions. 



23. By far the largest part of our country, as you have 

 learned from history and geography, was once forest or 

 prairie. Many thousand square miles of the forests have 

 now been cleared, and several large states have been carved 

 out of the vast prairies in the Mississippi basin. Perhaps 

 your fathers and grandfathers can tell you about the big 

 trees they had to cut down and the stumps they had to 

 grub out, or how they broke up the virgin prairie. As we 

 walk along a country road or ramble about on a farm, we at 

 once perceive that a great difference exists between the plants 

 farmers cultivate and bettveen the wild plants along roadsides 

 and fences in uncultivated corners and on wild meadows. On 

 our way to and from school we pass waving fields of Wheat, 

 Rye, Oats, and Barley. These four plants look very much 

 alike before they produce ears, and I shall find out how 

 many of you can distinguish them. Can you tell me what 

 wild plants they resemble closely ? Among these small 

 grains we noticed the purple flowers of the cockle and the 

 bright yellow flowers of the wild mustard, and a number of 

 other less conspicuous weeds ; but all of them are injurious to 

 the grain crop. We also pass fields of corn which is almost 

 large enough to bloom, and patches of potatoes whose white 

 flowers form a pretty contrast with the dark green leaves. 



Observations. Note the ever-increasing number of insects: 

 181 



