152 
NATURE STUDY. 
Our Exchange Table. 
The growing demand on the part of school boards that 
nature study should be taught in the public schools, re¬ 
gardless of the qualifications of the teacher, has led inev¬ 
itably to some surprising results. An incident related, in 
the current number of the Library Jourrial illustrates the 
possible effects of a combination of nature study and ped¬ 
agogics. A young girl came into a public library and 
asked for a book about worms, because she had to teach 
the subject next morning. It was duly handed her. “ I 
don’t want these,” .she said, “ I want the worms that turn 
into butterflies.” Then she added quite solemnly, “I 
don’t know anything about the subject, but I know the 
proper method of teaching it. That is the important 
thing.” 
In the January number of the Journal of the New York 
Botanical Garden Dr. Britton writes : “ The thoughtless 
and indiscriminate picking of flowers and breaking of twigs 
or branches from wild plants is an offence perpetrated 
by many persons who ought to know better. Every effort 
to educate people to realize that plants which are thus 
picked or broken cannot be enjoyed by others who follow 
them is a distinct aid in diminishing selfishness and in de¬ 
veloping the more healthy taste to preserve natural objects 
rather than to deface or destroy them. In the vicinity of 
many of our cities and towns, wild flowers, once common, 
have become rare by such vandalism, so that the healthful 
pleasure and interest of woodland walks have become much 
less enjoyable.” 
The Ohio Naturalist for January gives account of the 
new sunflower which has been described and named by 
Dr. Britton as Helianthus Kellermani—Kellerman’s sun¬ 
flower. A few years ago roots of the native species of 
Helianthus were brought from the vicinity of Columbus 
