1048 
The RURAL NEW-YORKER 
August 20, 1922 
f 
Boys and Girls 
By Edward M. Tuttle 
A little bit from you and me, 
And full Our Page will surely be. 
"(hie II ay to her/i Cool" 
Picture sent by Blanche Ernst (I! years), Connecticut 
Song 
Flower in the crannied wall. 
T pluck you out of the crannies; 
Hold you here, root and all. in my hand, 
Little flower—but if I could understand 
What you are, root and all, and all in all. 
I should know what Hod and man is, 
—Alfred Tennyson. 
This is the poem mentioned in our 
reading list last month. It is very short, 
and your editor has used it as a memory 
verse so that you may all learn it. On 
the opposite page you will find a write¬ 
up from a reader explaining the great 
thought that Tennyson expresses in these 
few lines. 
What Have You Done? 
What have you done during the Sum¬ 
mer vacation that you will remember 
with pleasure and prideV Perhaps you 
have had a garden that has kept the 
table supplied with fresh vegetables or 
bright flowers- It may be that you have 
raised some chickens, and now have a 
nice flock of pullets that will soon begin 
to lay. Some other crop or animal may 
have been your special care. Perhaps 
you have taken a bird census or made a 
study of weeds or trees or wild flowers. 
Perhaps you have been doing some kind 
thing for a neighbor each week. You 
may have learned to cook or bake bread. 
You may have made yourself an article 
of clothing. Possibly you have taken a 
f 
.1 Prize I cyetuble Exhibit 
Eleanor Davis, New York, an enthusias¬ 
tic fiardener. Picture sent by Prof, ft. 8. 
Smith of the Canton (New York) State 
School of Agriculture 
trip somewhere and learned much of in¬ 
terest. Indeed, there are dozens of 
things that our readers have probably 
been doing during the past two months. 
We should like to read about some of 
them on Our 1’age. So I am going to 
suggest that for next month we have a 
bunch of letters on My Best Vacation 
Experience. 
As soon as you finish reading this 
mouth’s page, find a pencil and paper, run 
off to your favorite “cozy corner.” think 
over your vacation, choose your best ex¬ 
perience and write it down in the most 
interesting way you can. Then tuck it in 
an envelope and send it to your editor. 
If you can add a photograph or a drawing 
to illustrate your letter, so much the bet¬ 
ter. 
What Are You Going to Do? 
After having taken a look back over 
the Summer, take a look ahead. It is al¬ 
most school time again. Some fine morn¬ 
ing you will hunt for your books and 
pads and pencils, pack your lunch box. 
and set off for the sclioolhouse whose hell 
will lie calling. You will meet your 
schoolmates again. How much there will 
he to talk about before and after school 
and at recess! Your teacher will be 
there, too ; perhaps the one you had last 
year, perhaps a stranger, but in either 
case ready to do her best for you. In a 
few days the work will be moving smoothly 
and you will he in training again for the 
things you will need as men and women. 
I think you know enough to make the 
most of your school days without any 
urging from me. We havT had many let¬ 
ters on Our Page in times past telling of 
the value of an education. We grow up 
very fast. Only as hoys aurl girls do we 
have the time and the chance to go to 
school. 8o start each morning with two 
things in mind; first, that so far as it. 
depends on you the day will he a pleas¬ 
ant and happy one; and second, that you 
will do your best with the studies. If 
you have that spirit this will he the best 
year in school that you have ever had. 
Remember that your education depends 
not only on the books and the building 
and the teacher and the trustee. It de¬ 
pends mainly on you. Take hold with a 
will. 
About That Opossum 
Back in April one of our hoy readers 
suggested that we ought to have a picture 
of an opossum—that he had never seen 
this animal and would like to know more 
about it. Shortly afterward Laura Aug- 
stadt took the trouble to send in a very 
complete description of the opossum 
which you will find below. But no pic¬ 
ture came. However, since I mentioned 
the matter again last month, uine readers 
have sent drawings, as follows: Harlot La 
Baker. Peter Sidlowski and Frieda Zwer- 
lein, of New York; Bill.v Tompkins and 
Evelyn Ilaskel, of New Hampshire; Ruth 
Worcester, of Maine; Irene Valentine, of 
New Jersey; Ruth McCray, of Pennsyl¬ 
vania, and Edwin Herr, of Virginia. I 
have selected two of the drawings and 
have printed them side by side on this 
pag<*. They give a very good idea of the 
opossum and its habits. I am glad that 
we have kept after this until something 
worth while has come of it. Here is the 
description: 
The opossum is a queer-looking animal. 
It is the size of a large cat, but not like 
it i'i: shape. Its legs are sllort, its feet 
black, its toes white. It uses its feet for 
hands to grasp branches when climbing, 
or to bold food when eating. It lias a 
pig-like face, with long snout and little 
eyes. Its face is pinkish-white and its 
ears black, tipped with white. Its fin¬ 
is bluish gray. The tail is naked and 
scaly, and is used like another hand 
when the creature is climbing about on 
the branches of trees. 
The opossum feeds upon almost any- 
tiling it can get. such as insects, young 
reptiles, mice, birds’ eggs, young birds, 
and it is especially fond of chickens. It 
also oats corn, nuts, berries and other 
fruits, and particularly likes persimmons. 
Its borne is in a hollow tree or a crevice 
in rocks, bedded with dry grass and 
leaves. Here it stays during the day, 
roming out at night in search of food. 
The opossum mother carries her babies 
around in a pouch or pocket. When they 
are born they are the very lilt.lesl babies 
you ever saw. blind and not more than 
an inch long. The pocket is on the lower 
side of the mother’s body. The little 
one, when it is dropped into the pocket, 
at once finds its place for a milk break¬ 
fast. and bangs on for dinner and supper 
and all night so n.s to be ready for break¬ 
fast again. It remains in this position 
until its eyes open and it. gels tired of 
lying quiet. Then it pops its head <>ut 
of 1 Be pocket, takes a look at the world 
from this safe place, and a lit tic lat er 
climbs around onto its mother’s back by 
clinging to her fur. The funniest thing 
about these youngsters is the way they use 
their tails, which they twist around ob¬ 
jects to bold them fast. The mother car¬ 
ries her .tail over her back and the little 
ones, by twisting their tails around hers, 
are able to hang fast to her back while 
she climbs around in the trees to hunt 
for food. It is a comical sight to see a 
mother opossum carrying her family on 
her hack in this way. If an enemy at¬ 
tacks her. the young ones hustle into her 
pocket where they feel safe from danger. 
An opossum pretends to be dead when 
it is overpowered. It not only becomes 
absolutely motionless, but it even looks 
dead, and it thus escapes many enemies. 
When the enemy lias left the opossum 
comes suddciilj to life and climbs for 
safety. You will see now why it is we 
sometimes speak of “playing ’possum,” 
referrring to a person who lies quiet till 
some danger is past, i.atra atcstadt. 
Pennsylvania. 
Shall We Kill or Study Them? 
Several readers took up the question 
asked on the June page of what to do 
when boys who have never learned to love 
nature thoughtlessly kill useful birds. 
Here is one of the best replies : 
I think a good way lo teach boys not 
to kill birds is to show Ihem a bird book 
with good pidures and let them look 
through a field glass to show them how 
much more interesting it is to study birds 
than to kill them. 
When 1 was trying to get the riddle 
for a meadow lark mother bought me a 
t’lmpman’s Bird Idle, with illustrations 
by Thompson Seton. Then father bought 
me a field glass. We have enjoyed them 
very much in studying birds. 
New York. Dorothy i isiikh. 
A few months ago we gave the names 
of several good flower hooks. Perhaps 
this is the time to mention some bird 
books. Every farm home should have 
one good book on birds. There are very 
many from which to choose, but the fol¬ 
lowing are among the best: Bird Life, 
by Chapman, published by D. Appleton 
& Co., New York; Bird Guide, by Reed, 
Drawn by Genevieve Dieter (lit years). 
Pennnsylvania 
published by Doubleday, Page & Co.. 
Harden City, N. Y,; Birds Through an 
Opera Glass, by Merrium. published by 
Houghton, Mifflin & Co.. New York: 
Field Book of Wild Birds and Their 
Music, by Matthews, published by H. P. 
Putnam’s Sons, New York, and the Leaf¬ 
lets of the National Association of Audu¬ 
bon Societies, 1074 Broadway, New York. 
Boneset or Thoroughwort 
It was a surprise to find that a good 
many readers knew Inez Ilertel’s Nature 
Puzzle. Those who answered correctly 
arc listed below, and T also had a letter 
from an X0-year-old “young man” who 
said he certainly was reminded of his 
childhood days at seeing this puzzle. He 
then told how his aunt dosed him with 
boneset tea and bow be bated it, but he 
thinks it helped to save bis life. Henc- 
vieve Dieter sent the drawing which 
shows how tiie peculiar perfoliate leaves 
look; and thanks are due Dorothy Hard- 
ner of New Jersey and I Libia Triplett of 
West Virginia, who sent drawings, too. 
If is fine to keep up this Nature Puzzle 
feature of Our Page so well, with a good 
What Is It each mouth, and the follow¬ 
ing month the answer and usually a 
drawing. 
Correct answers were received in time 
to print from 
Councolicul: taieillo Perry. 
Maim-: Iti-tu-cca Spencer, Ruth Worcester. 
Massachusetts: Caroline Powell. Francis ltice. 
Michigan; I.lllinu .lust. 
New .Tcrscy: Dorothy Gardner, Wilbert Van 
Set crs. 
New York: Nonna Mnrlinganic. Sylvia J.nri- 
bec, Myrtn Feck. Thelma I lodges, Kinllic Skid¬ 
more. Dorothy Ili, li, .lane Moore. Adeline Schae¬ 
fer. India Cordon, Frederick Culver, Cartotta 
tinker. Kvn Dennis, John ltailt. Until Watts, 
Gladys Feldherg, Clara Smith, Margaret Mac¬ 
kenzie. 
Ohio: Kstlier Rowtuiln, Virginia Cooley, 
Pennsylvania: Margaret Farabaugh, Gene¬ 
vieve Dieter, Paul Krides, 
Vermont: Mary Fowler. 
Virginia: Christine Bowman. 
West \ irgtnifl Hilda Triplett. 
What Is It? 
I thought most of you would have to 
give nit last month's Nature Puzzle, but 
I was mistaken. However, I warn you 
that I have gone through my collection 
and picked out one of the very hardest 
for this month. My guess is that there 
will not he ten correct answers to it. and 
as for a drawing—well, maybe I’m a poor 
guesser. What do you think? Here is 
the puzzle: 
The animal which 1 am describing is 
about the size of a fox terrier dog, but. 
shaped different. It has four legs; the 
back legs are a little longer than the 
front ones. This animal has long ears 
and a stubby or fuzzy tail. It ran run 
at a high rate of speed which takes a 
good dog to catch. Tt will not run into 
a box trap or any hole. It usually makes 
a small burrow or hole deep enough to 
conceal it which it digs in snow or grass. 
This animal is very common in this part 
of the country. frkd warxrkn. 
Kansas. (12 years). 
Book Notes 
Four more good titles for your lists 
are these: 
“Robin Hood”—any standard edition. 
“The King of the Golden River,” by 
John Ruskiu. 
“Stories to Tell to Children,” by Sara 
Cone Bryant. 
Poem, ‘‘Seein’ Things,” by Eugene 
Field. 
I am just as sure as I am of anything 
that among our thousands of readers 
there are many who have read each of 
these books. It is an interesting tiling to 
try to tell the story of a book in a few 
words that will catch the attention cf 
those who have not read it. I hope we 
may have a number of l;">0-word write* 
