76 
BY THE WAYSIDE 
BYT H E W AYSI D E 
Published on the tenth of each month except July and 
August. 
The official organ of the Wisconsin and Illinois Audu¬ 
bon Societies. 
Twenty-five cents per year. Single Copies 3 cents 
All communications should be sent to Miss Edna Ed¬ 
wards, Appleton, Wis. 
NATURE STVDYIN SCHOOLS 
Course of Study. VIII. 
Grade IV. 
LESSONS WITH PLANTS. 
Competitive Flower Rearing. Con¬ 
tinue this work as in former years. Be 
sure that the seeds are given out before 
the spring vacation. Give more detailed 
directions as to the condition of the soil 
and the treatment of the seeds before 
planting. The teacher should arouse 
interest in the subject before the work 
begins and see that the interest does not 
lag as the plants develop. The number 
of available plants that will bloom before 
school closes in June being small, it 
might be well to substitute some slips or 
bulbs, and thus extend the pupil’s ex¬ 
perience in plant culture. 
Wild Plants.—The review each spring 
as the plants appear should fix the 
names and habits of the thirty odd 
plants already given. In the review let 
there be new material brought forward 
to keep up the interest. Insist that the 
children be accurate in naming plants; 
many plants are familiar to them by sight, 
but the proper names are not known, or 
the same name is used looselv to desig- 
nate different plants. No attempt need 
be made to teach the scientific names of 
plants. The flower list should be kept 
as before bv the school. Remember that 
the chief aim is to have children know 
the plants in their natural environment. 
Add the following list: 
Meadow rue Yellow violet 
Shad bush Vetches 
Lady slipper 
Cat-tail 
Mustard . 
Thorough wort 
Blue-eyed grass 
Nettle 
Coon cockle 
Jack-in-the-pulpit 
Trees.—Butternut, pines, spruces. 
The plan of plotting the trees of the lo¬ 
cality may be followed for this grade 
also. In reviewing the trees learned in 
former years, attention should be directed 
to their flowers which are usually incon¬ 
spicuous and hence often overlooked. 
In studying the butternut and the hick¬ 
ory, bring out the great values of nut 
trees to man, the care they deserve and 
the advisableness of increasing the num- 
be by planting. Pines and spruces are 
the most common representatives of the 
so-called evergreen trees. Give special 
attention to the leaves. Pupils should 
clearly distinguish the two groups and 
know one or two species of each. 
Fruit.—Apples. This, the most im¬ 
portant fruit tree of our region, should be 
very familiar to the pupils in its 1< af, 
flower, and general form. The flower is 
so large and conspicuous that it will 
form a good subject for the study of a 
type common in a large family of useful 
plants. Pupils may be asked to discover 
what will happen if the flowers are cov¬ 
ered with a netting so as to prevent the 
visits of insects. Have them find out 
how the tree is propagated. Some of the 
common varieties of apples should be 
learned. The importance of the fruit to 
man, its care, and some of the insect en¬ 
emies should be given. 
Flowerless Plants.—The elementary 
work on ferns, lichens and algae alreadv 
given should be reviewed. Take now 
the mushrooms. Have pupils recognize 
them as a group, collect them, and know 
by name a few, both harmless and harm¬ 
ful. Tell them how mushrooms get their 
food and how they are propagated. 
R. M. 
