6 rnVl':lCE. 



of the hour. With such a knowledge generally dif- 

 fused there would be less dissatisfaction with country 

 life and fewer farmers' sons and daughters would flock 

 to the cities, because, as a recent writer expresses it, 

 "they wish to get rid of the prosy, stunting, isolated 

 life on the farm." With a knowledge of some of 

 nature's objects and a desire to ferret out for them- 

 selves some of her secrets, they would have some- 

 thing of which to talk and think besides crops, stock, 

 work, neighborhood gossip and local politics, and the 

 attractions of the city would seldom excel those to be 

 found on the old homestead. 



