90 NATURE STUDY AND AGRICULTURE 



relation to man and his activities, such as the various 

 effects produced by these agencies upon transportation and 

 crops, using local instances as examples; as storms occur, 

 comment and observation upon their destructive effects 

 on trees, etc. For one month, beginning with the day 

 the new moon is first to be observed, each pupil sketches 

 its appearance about sunset in the first half of the month 

 and about sunrise in the second half. The sketches are 

 made about every other day. When the observations are 

 completed an explanation is brought out by the teacher, 

 new moon, first quarter, full moon, and third quarter be- 

 ing taken into consideration. Observation of the Great 

 Dipper, Little Dipper, Orion, the Pleiades, and the Pole- 

 star. The apparent diurnal motion of the stars in relation 

 to the Polestar is observed. 



Spring. — Garden: Indoors the children decide upon the 

 arrangement of the flowers in their gardens; simple plats 

 are drawn by the children upon which the arrangement is 

 indicated; the same is done with plats of the home gardens 

 which are brought; it is not attempted to draw these plats 

 exact to scale; plant sweet pea, pansy, china aster, morning 

 glory; tomato, sweet corn, leeks, and chives; simple indoor 

 experiments are made to determine the conditions under 

 which sweet peas will germinate and begin their growth to 

 best advantage, bringing out therewith what physical con- 

 ditions are essential to germination and continued growth ; 

 frequent visits to the school wild flower garden, noting the 

 changes in appearance from one week until the next, and 

 the effects of weather upon the rate of development; 

 mandrake, bloodroot, buttercup, and spring beauty are 

 especially watched; in connection with mandrake and 



