238 Fourth Conference 



there is no dew under the shade of trees; why flowers 

 shut up before rain. They will want to know why 

 water rises from a saucer up into the mould in a 

 flower-pot which is placed in it; what happens when 

 water is poured on a dry, dusty soil; what happens 

 when plants are watered in dry weather; why roots 

 grow downwards, stems grow upwards, and branches 

 spread horizontally. 



The applications of arithmetic are numerous, to- 

 gether with simple notions of mechanics, geometry, 

 and mensuration. There is first of all the garden 

 account, that is, the outlay on seed and manure, 

 balanced with the income from sale of produce. 

 There is the calculation of the number of plants 

 required to fill a given space. There is the calcula- 

 tion of the cost of cropping the plots, and the cost of 

 manuring them. There is the comparative cost of the 

 manure on two plots differently treated, which should 

 be balanced with the actual weight of produce ob- 

 tained in each case and the results of the sale of the 

 respective produce. These calculations are equally 

 good for mental training as true discount, and more 

 useful to country children. There is the calculation 

 of the percentage of sound seeds in a sample based 

 upon an easy test for germinating seeds. There is 

 the calculation of the loss to growers by the destruc- 

 tion of insect-eating birds. 



The use of the spade as a form of the lever will be 

 useful in explaining the three orders of levers — useful 

 information which everyone is suppo.sed to know, 

 though the knowledge is not very common. 



Geometry and geometrical drawing will be useful 

 in laying out beds of various shapes, constructing 



