Suggestions and Course of Study 143 



determine the direction of growth of the roots? In 

 this case the effect of gravity is neutralized. 



XV. On the Influence of Environment. Take two 

 bottles; fill one with water; into each bottle put a few 

 fresh stems or branches of white clover bearing leaves; 

 allow to remain for some weeks. Observe: one wilts, 

 the other does not. Examine the stem in the water 

 and notice the new adventitious roots. On what part 

 of the stem are these produced ? How has water pro- 

 duced this effect? Compare with the plant in the 

 empty bottle. (V) Now pour water into the empty 

 bottle; allow to remain. Are new roots produced 

 on the withered stem? 



Remarks: Not water alone, nor the plant alone, 

 can account for the production of new adventitious 

 roots (as the experiment shows), but the living plant 

 reacts to the moist environment, and this reaction 

 results in the growth of new roots; hence the impor- 

 tance of action and reaction in producing changes in 

 living things. 



VII. LECTURE. 



Step Seven should rarely be omitted. Life is too 

 short to attempt to gather all facts at first hand. We 

 are fortunately able to profit by the labors, thought, 

 and experience of others, provided we have already 

 gained enough by our own self-activity to be able to 

 interpret language through which the knowledge of 

 the race is communicated The empirical work 

 already done on the subject in hand should have 

 contributed to the power of interpreting language. 

 It is because nature study does this that it is justly 

 regarded as the foundation of all other work of the 

 school. How absurd it would be not to use this 

 slowly acquired power of interpreting language! 



In the preceding steps, ideas needing names have 

 been felt by the pupil and noticed by the teacher, 



