426 ■ BEPORT — 1908. 



make experiments on leaves. In wet weather when we cannot go into 

 the garden we find the laboratory window-boxes useful, as in them polli- 

 nation and assimilation experiments can be arranged. Most of the Botany 

 gardens are either order-beds, or beds in which pollination and assimila- 

 tion experiments take place ; but there are a few others, for example those 

 in which soil experiments are made. Each year we find that something 

 more is needed in the Botany garden, and each year something is added. 

 Last year climbing plants received special attention, and now the girls 

 own plants climbing Ijy twining stems, hooks, roots, stem tendrils, leaf 

 tendrils, or .sensitive petioles. 



Lately we have been specially interested in studying trees. It had 

 been a drawljack that in studying the structure of buds, methods of 

 branching, cfec, we had no better materials than cut specimens or trees 

 seen on excursions. This year there has been planted in the gai'den a 

 specimen of every common English tree not already posses.sed by us, and 

 we hope that in future the girls will draw different stages of development 

 of the buds of oak, beech, ash, sycamore, maple, willow, &c., while still 

 on the trees. 



Two years ago we thought of making a pond for water plants, but 

 this was judged inadvisable, and instead of a pond in the garden a tank is 

 provided in our new botanical ]aboratorJ^ 



As gardening is not a regular branch of the school work, and no .school 

 time is allowed for it, the work nmst bo voluntary ; but there are many 

 applications for Botany gardens, and great enthusiasm is shown. The 

 .school is a day-school, so digging, planting, weeding, and Avatering are 

 done in the dinner hour, or in the hour innnediately following afternoon 

 school. The practical work appeals to many who would not be interested 

 in books, and in several cases the gardens liave been the means of arousing 

 a girl's interest in plant life. In fact, we have found the out-of-door work 

 of such value that we hope to extend it, and allow more and more of the 

 school work in Botany to depend on the observations and experiments 

 made by the girls in their gardens. 



Excursions. — The school excursion is highly valued as a means of 

 stimulating observation in the field, but we are inclined to think that for 

 want of attention to details its benefits are often imperfectly attained. 

 Excursions are sometimes wholly unprofitable. The leader stops now and 

 then to pick a flower, names it, mentions, perhaps, .some curious feature 

 which it exhibits, pops it into his vasculum, and walks on. Mo.st of the 

 party are not within hearing : they have no part assigned to them, and 

 they bring back nothing more valuable than a few dying flowers, with a 

 fleeting memory of some of their names. On a botanical excursion we 

 ought to remark not only flowers and the peculiarities which distinguish 

 them, but the ripening of fruits, the dispersal of seeds, and defences 

 against scorching sun or winter cold. It is only by visiting the same 

 plant at differeiit seasons of the year that we ))ecome acquainted with 

 what may be called its biography. To insure the active co-operation of 

 all the members of the class, we have found it useful to distribute a cyclo- 

 styled progi-amme, describing, but not as a rule naming, things which are 

 to be looked for. 



Example : A Moorland Walk. 



1. Find several plants with I'olled leaves. 



2. Find a plant whose leaves are converted into spines. Look QWt fqf 

 §§ed|ings of the same pUi^t, 



