MARCH 181 



Feldspar has a pearly lustre and two planes of cleav- 

 age, one at right angles to the other, or, as the children 

 say, it breaks in steps. Its color is usually light, ranging 

 from white to gray, pink, red, brown, and green. It is the 

 mineral which gives granites their characteristic colors. 



As moonstone, it is somewhat used for ornaments. Its 

 other uses have been given under the head of Clay. 



Methods : 



After the seeds have been planted in the earth, give to 

 each child a small box half full of soil, or distribute it 

 by the spoonfuls on pieces of paper already laid out on 

 their desks. 



Put into one pile all the gravel that j-ou can find. 

 What color is it? "What shape? Why? On the 

 ground which would you find on top, the gravel or the 

 fine soil ? Why ? 



Sort over the rest of the soil. What do you find next 

 in size to the gravel ? What is it called ? Put in an- 

 other pile the grains of sand. What colors ? What 

 shape ? Hard or soft ? How do you know ? 



Let the teacher or the pupils drop a little water on 

 what is left. What is the odor that you now notice ? 



What else is there besides the gravel, sand, clay, in 

 your soil ? Describe it. They are sure to find all sorts 

 of interesting things, — mica, grasshopper's eggs, bits of 

 leaves and roots, earthworm castings, etc. Let them 

 think out the reasons for the presence of whatever they 

 find. 



If mica is in the soil, lessons on that mineral will be 

 very interesting to the children. 



An excellent plan is to ask the children questions, 



