AGRICULTURAL NATURE STUDY OUTLINES 
9 
Fruit crops .—Name different fruits grown in tlie district. Make 
a list on blackboard of fruits of trees, vines, and shrubs, as peaches, 
apples, prunes, oranges, grapes, olives, almonds, raspberry, currants, 
strawberries, etc. How can fruit trees be told apart when there is no 
fruit on them? Have leaves and twigs from different trees in the 
schoolroom. Why are trees and vines pruned? Watch the blossoms 
in the trees. What are the bees doing ? What is one injurious insect 
for each fruit tree ? How is the spraying done ?" What ripens the 
fruit? What labor is required to have good fruit? What is done 
with the fruit when picked? If in a raisin, walnut, or olive district, 
emphasize best methods of preparing crop for the market. Teacher 
should get all possible information from the best growers in the com¬ 
munity. Don’t attempt to bring out all the technical information in 
the primary grades. Leave something for the upper grades. 
Shade and forest trees .—Identify a few of the most important 
shade trees. How tell an acacia from a black walnut ? How tell the 
valley oak from the black oak? What is the principal shade tree in 
the community? How many kinds of eucalyptus grown in the neigh¬ 
borhood ? Do the leaves stay on all the year ? How tell one pine tree 
from another? How many of the trees have blossoms? When does 
each tree blossom? Do they have seeds? If so, collect a few. How 
does the seed of the maple differ from the seed of the oak ? Choose one 
tree to find out all the interesting things possible, as age, height, 
shape, manner of growth, direction of branches, color of leaves, limbs, 
and bark on trunk, the buds, shape of leaf, etc. Notice twigs and 
leaves of two or three other trees in contrast to the one chosen. The 
