64 



NATURE STUDY MADE EASY 



CROSS SECTION OF OAK, 

 SHOWING ANNUAL RINGS 



"Now, boys, don't linger here. You will be late for school," 

 came from the other end of the yard, and Mr. West, the manager, 

 appeared at the door of his office. 



" Please, sir, may I have that piece of wood yonder? It looks 

 like a cross section of a dicotyledon. We are learning about that 

 now," said Tom. 



"Certainly," said the good-natured mana- 

 ger. "You are right, that is part of an 

 oak stem. If you count the rings, you can 

 find out how many years it has been grow- 

 ing." 



"Thank you, sir," said Tom, as he placed 

 his prize under his arm. 

 That morning Tom entered school a happy boy. He was the 

 first to bring in a cross section of a log, though the boys had all 

 been hunting for them for a week. He 

 showed it to his teacher, who was pleased 

 at the boy's readiness, and promised to 

 tell the class more about his log. That 

 afternoon, the teacher showed the piece 

 of oak brought in by Tom, and, to make 

 it clearer, drew the section on the black- 

 board. She told the boys that woody 

 stems are made up of pith, wood, and bark. The pith is in the 

 center, and is soft in the young plant, but, as the tree grows, it 

 pushes the wood inward, and hardens until it is hardly notice- 



END OF A LOG 



