imens should be cut when green, and dried
afterwards. They should be uniform in length--not more than six
inches--and should show the bark on one side. The side showing the bark
should be two inches wide at most, six inches long, and running in a
V-shaped, radial section toward the pith. A tangential section also
shows well the rounded layers. A piece of slab as cut lengthwise off a
round stick is tangential. Care should be taken not to mutilate trees in
taking these specimens. Specimens of rare or foreign woods may be
obtained at wood-working factories.

RELATED READING

Winter is Nature's quiescent period. Continuous active observation in
the out-of-doors among the plants of the forest and garden gives place
for a time to indoor work and reflection. Pupils need time for reading
and reflection, and no time is so opportune as the quiet winter season.
During these months some time should be devoted to the reading of nature
stories and extracts from magazines and books dealing with plant as well
as with animal life.

Pupils should review their gardening experiences and discuss plans of
improvement for the approaching spring and summer. Let them write
letters to the Form II pupils of other schools where similar work has
been carried on, and give some of their experiences in gardening and
other plant studies, and also in animal studies. A certain Friday
afternoon might be appointed for hearing the letters read which were
received in reply. Suitable short poems that have a direct bearing upon
the outdoor studies should be read from time to time. Good pictures also
come in here as an aid in helping the pupils to appreciate written
descriptions. The first-hand observations made by them will form a basis
for the better and more appreciative interpretation of these literature
selections.

For Observation Lesson on Weed Seeds, see page 171.

HOW ANIMALS PREPARE FOR WINTER

~Introduction.~--Discuss the preparations that people make for winter,
such as the storing of food and the providing of warmer clothes and
homes.

~Method.~--The teacher questions the pupils and encourages them to tell
what they have learned through their own observation of animals. The
knowledge of the pupils is supplemented by information given by the
teacher, but the pupils are left to find out more facts by further
observations. Thus:

Do you ever see ground-hogs out during winter?

What do they feed upon during the winter?

What is the cond