LESSONS PROM THE FOREST 65 



Boys and Girls Co-operate. In school ground planting of 

 trees we have the greatest opportunity to teach the practical 

 lesson of conservation. American children need the lesson 

 of taking care of things they destroy so thoughtlessly. If a 

 boy helps plant and care for a tree, he gets the first good 

 lesson in conservation of natural resources. The tree will 

 win his respect, and he will preserve it. Here, with the 

 children, is the proper starting point of this whole move- 

 ment, for it is they who will have to "pay the piper" after 

 we have had our dance. 



PRACTICAL EXERCISES. 



1. The Picture in the Landscape. Step to the door or the win- 

 dow of the school house, with the class, and look out upon some 

 forest. Call attention to the broken sky line, where the tree tops 

 vary in height. Note the different color of foliage and the different 

 shapes of the trees. Observe how the trees and shrubs are massed, 

 and how the shrubs fill up the space down to the ground. Frame 

 with the eye a picture, bordered by sky, hill, forest, and earth, and 

 observe that it is beautiful. Let the pupils now be seated and write 

 a description of the picture from the details observed. 



2. Map the School Grounds. Pupils should draw a map of the 

 school yard, place in the map the trees and shrubs, already present, 

 and indicate where others should be placed. Draw the map to a 

 scale and designate trees and shrubs, by little circles. 



3. Map of Home Grounds. Let each pupil draw a map of the 

 home grounds and indicate the location of buildings, walks, trees, and 

 shrubs. 



REFERENCES. 

 U. S. DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE FOREST SERVICE BULLETINS. 



Circular 130 "Forestry in the Schools". 

 Farmer's Bulletin, 173 A Primer of Forestry. 

 Farmer's Bulletin "Forestry in Nature Study". 

 Circular 96 "Arbor Day". 

 Farmer's Bulletin, 423 "Forest Nurseries for 



Schools". 

 Iowa Agr. Bulletin, 120 "The Hardy Catalpa"- 



Ames. 



