752 



Handbook of Nature-Study 



Clip and saucer made from the acorns of 

 red oak 



leaves and acorns may be brought into the schoolroom for study. Use 

 Lesson CLXXXIX for a study of leaves of all the oaks of the neighborhood. 



Observations — i. Describe the oak 

 tree which you are studying. Where 

 is it growing? What shape is its 

 head? How high in proportion to 

 the head is the trunk ? What is the 

 color and character of its bark? 

 Describe its roots as far as you can 

 see. Are the branches straight or 

 crooked? Delicate or strong? Is 

 the spray graceful or angular ? 



2 . What is the name of your oak 

 tree ? What is the color of its foliage 



in autumn ? Find three leaves from your tree which differ most widely in 

 form, and sketch them or make leaf prints of them for your note-book. 

 Does the leaf have the lobes rounded, or angular and tipped with sharp 

 points? Is the leaf smooth on the lower side or rough? Is there much 

 difference in color between the upper and the lower side ? 



3. Describe the acorns which grow on your oak. Has the acorn a 

 stem, or is it set directly on the twig. How much of the acorn does the cup 

 cover? Are the scales on the cup fine or coarse? Is the cup rounded in- 

 wards at its rim ? What is the length of the acorn including the cup ? The 

 diameter? Are there acorns on your oak in winter? If so, why? Is the 

 kernel of the acorn sweet or bitter? Plant an acorn and watch it sprout. 



4. Read all the stories you 

 can find about oak trees, and 

 write them in your note-book. 



5 . How great an age does the 

 oak attain? Describe how the 

 country round about looked when 

 the oak tree you are studying 

 was planted. 



6. How many kinds of oaks 

 do you know? What is the 

 difference in leaves between the 

 white and the black oak groups? 

 What is the difference in the 

 length of time required for the 

 acorns to mature in these two 

 groups? The dift'erence in taste 

 of the acorns ? The difference in 

 the general color of the bark? 

 Why is the chestnut oak an 

 exception to this latter rule? 



7. How do the oak leaves 

 look when they first come out of 

 the bud in spring? What is the 

 color of the tree covered with new 

 leaves? When does your oak 



The red oak in winter. blossom ? Find the poUen-bear- 



Photo by Ralph Curtis. ing blossoms which are hung in 



