6 



of the liour. With such a knowledge generally dif- 

 fused 1 lii-re would IK- less dissat isfartioii with country 

 life and fewer farmers' sons and daughters would flock 

 to the cities, ln-caiise, 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 he-sides crops, stock, 

 work, neighborhood gossip and local politics, and the 

 attractions of the city would seldom excel those to he 

 found on the old homestead. 



