LESSONS WITH PLANTS 357 



the plant as possible, pictures, the products in different 

 stages of preparation, etc. It would be interesting for the 

 children to correspond with others living in the countries 

 where these plants are raised, in order to make exchanges 

 of plants and other nature or geographical material. Hemp 

 and flax are easily obtained, and some of the children would 

 no doubt be interested in trying to treat these plants for the 

 preparation of the fibres. The cotton plant can be easily 

 raised in the North. It may be grown in a window box in 

 the school. I have several seasons started cotton in March, 

 transplanted to the garden, and grown the plant almost to 

 the maturity of the pods. If taken in before the early frosts 

 such plants can no doubt be ripened in the house. 



It is often surprising what ignorance is shown concerning 

 the common woods used for furniture, buildings, and fuel. 

 It would be well to have the children learn to recognize the 

 most common kinds. A good time for this study is in the 

 winter, when the boys are sawing wood for the family use. 

 Let them cut thin sections of the different kinds of wood. Per- 

 haps specimens may be obtained at a furniture factory, or 

 other place where much wood is used. Some of this should 

 be poHshed to show the grain. Collect pine of different 

 kinds, fir, cedar, red and white oak, hard maple, white-elm, 

 ash, birch, hickory, basswood, poplar, walnut, mahogany, 

 rosewood, ebony, etc. Label these properly and place in 

 the school cabinet. Note the hardness, color, grain, elastic- 

 ity, strength, and other properties of the wood, and refer to 

 the uses to which it is put, and the special properties that 

 make it useful for these purposes. Such lessons would be 

 especially desirable in connection with manual training. 



