166 NATURE TEACHING 



chestnut, and birch trees, and by such less conspicuous 

 plants as the small lady's mantle, corn spurrey, etc. 

 The presence of the lesser celandine or pilewort is almost 

 certain proof of the presence of clay. Wheat and mari- 

 golds are characteristic crops, and oak trees thrive well 

 on clayey soils. Wet lands are sufficiently indicated 

 by the growth of rushes, sedges, and other moisture- 

 loving plants. 



PRACTICAL WORK 



Examine the plants which occur in the garden, and 

 endeavour to determine where they come from, and how 

 it is that some of them appear again and again after all 

 attempts to get rid of them. In many, this will be found 

 to be due to a good method of seed dispersal. Others, 

 which are exceedingly difficult to get rid of, have under- 

 ground stems, bulbs, and tubers, which remain in the 

 ground. 



Make lists of the plants found on some piece of waste 

 ground, or which come up as weeds in the garden, and 

 endeavour to understand how each spreads from place 

 to place, whether by its seeds or by underground stems 

 and roots. 



Preserving Plant Specimens. 



Collect specimens of every weed found in the 

 school garden, and preserve them for future examination 

 and reference. This may, with most plants, easily be 

 done by carrying out the following simple directions. 

 The first requisite is drying material, which is best of 

 coarse, stout, and unsized paper. Ordinary blotting- 

 paper is much too tender except for very delicate plants. 



