34 BULLETIN 258, IT. S. DEPARTMENT OP AGRICULTURE. 



Practical exercises. — (1) Go with the class to a home where bees 

 are kept. Observe them and take notes on their movements. (2) 

 Secure some honeycomb. Look for cells prepared for storing honey 

 and those for rearing young bees. (3) The care and management of 

 a few hives of bees provide an excellent project. 



Correlations. — Language and drawing: Write a description and 

 make a drawing of the type of hives used in the community. 



LESSON FOUR. 



SUBJECT : CROPS. TOPIC : HOW PLANTS' FEED. 



Food from the soil. — The plant food in the soil must be dissolved 

 in water before it can be taken up by the roots and used by the plant. 

 There are at least 10 elements of plant food taken from the soil, 

 but the most important are nitrogen, phosphorus, potash, and 

 calcium (lime). 



Food from the air. — Plants take food from the air through tiny 

 openings in the underside of the leaf. Carbon is the only element 

 of plant food taken from the air, but it unites with water to make 

 starch, which constitutes the great bulk of the plant. 



Class assignment. — Duggar's, pp. 32-37. Supplement the lesson 

 with notes from Farmers' Bui. 218, pp. 12-15. 



Practical exercises. — (1 ) See " Experiment " and " Exercise," Dug- 

 gar's, p. 36. (2) See "Exercises 3, 4, and 5," Farmers' Bui. 218, p. 

 14. (3) Club members should take an active interest in these exer- 

 cises to learn fully the relations between their crops and the soil 

 and air. 



LESSON FIVE. 



SUBJECT : CROPS. TOPIC : PREPARING FOR SILAGE. 



Why silage should oe made. — Best and cheapest form of succulent 

 food ; a very palatable food ; a substitute for pastures during winter 

 months. 



Silage crops. — Corn, sorghums, cowpeas, soy beans, clover. 



Harvesting the crops. — Time, equipment. 



Making silage. — Cutting, packing, moistening, covering. 



Class assignment. — Duggar's, pp. 124, 126, 174, 178, and 180. The 

 teacher should give the class notes from Farmers' Bui. 578 covering 

 the foregoing outline. This lesson is of special importance in stock- 

 raising and dairy sections of Alabama. 



Practical exercises. — (1) If there is a silo in the community, take 

 the pupils of the class to visit it. If possible, secure from the owner 

 the following information: Crops used in making silage, the length 

 of the particles of silage, the time of making silage, and the manner 

 of filling the silo. Require the pupils to take notes on the foregoing 



