about half that size.

AUTUMN WILD FLOWERS

Observations made with garden flowers should be supplemented by
observation lessons on a few selected wild flowers of the woods, fields,
and roadsides. Although the spring months afford a much greater variety
of wild flowers than do the autumn months, they do not afford quite as
good an opportunity for finding and studying them. The woods and fields
are drier and more easily reached in the autumn and the fall flowers
last much longer. Some of the species seen blooming in spring and early
summer are now in fruit and scattering their seed, so that the pupils
have a chance to follow out the whole life history of a few chosen
species. The pupils in this Form might select for special study the
milkweed, worm-seed mustard, wild aster, and goldenrod. These should be
observed out-of-doors, preferably, but suitable class-room lessons may
be taught by using similar matter.

MILKWEED

Taking the milkweed as a type, the following points are to be
considered:

The kind of soil, where found, and whether in sun or shade.

Try to pull up a small-sized plant. Dig one up and notice the
underground part.

Note the size of the largest plant seen, also the size of the leaves,
and how they are arranged to prevent overshadowing.

Break off a leaf and note the white sticky juice, whence the name
"milkweed". Discuss this milk as a protection to the plant.

Note time of first and last flowering of the plant and the colour and
odour of the flowers. Watch insects gathering honey on a bright day.
Note the little sacks of pollen that cling to their feet. They sometimes
get their feet caught in little slits in the flower and perish.

After the flowers disappear, note the forming of the little boat-shaped
pods in pairs. Select one that is ripe and notice that it bursts along
one side which is most protected. Open a pod carefully and notice how
beautifully the flat, brown seeds are arranged in overlapping rows and
how each seed has a large tuft of silky down that serves to carry it far
away in the wind. This silk-like down is sometimes used to stuff
cushions, and because of it the plant is sometimes called silk weed.

One species of butterfly in particular feeds upon this plant--the
monarch, or milkweed, butterfly. This is one of the few butterflies that
birds do not eat. It is protected by a distasteful fluid. Look on the
under side of the leaves of several plants until you find a pretty, pa