Mr. Evans's Address 167 



TREES AS A MEANS OF NATURE-STUDY 



By Mr. JOHN EVANS, H.M. Sub-Inspector, 

 Board of Education 



I. Why Trees? 



In selecting "Trees" as the subject of a few re- 

 marks, I trust I shall not be misconstrued as attaching 

 importance to the need of specialization in Nature- 

 study work, or of emphasizing the fact that one 

 subject is more important than another. On the 

 contrary, my constant advice to teachers is: Teach 

 what you know best, having due regard to the pos- 

 sibilities of your own neighbourhood. One subject 

 is as good as another to secure the object in view — 

 cultivating the powers of observation and interesting 

 the children in their surroundings. 



The study of trees, though a highly fascinating 

 subject, is, I am afraid, a somewhat neglected branch 

 of nature-knowledge. How many there are who can 

 identify with ease a primrose or a buttercup or a 

 daisy, yet who are utterly unable to distinguish an 

 oak from an ashy or a beech from an ehn\ 



In the short time at my disposal this afternoon I 

 can only touch the mere fringe of the subject, but 

 I hope to be able to show the enthusiastic teacher 

 that a study of Trees furnishes us with material for 

 observation and discrimination, for comparison and 

 judgment, and that it exemplifies the application of 

 certain important principles that should be kept in 

 mind in pursuing a course of Nature-study. 



