e about them. We might remember that we had
seen a great many trees, but not be able to tell of what kinds they
were, how their branches and leaves were shaped, how tall they were, or
anything about them.

Now such knowledge is very pleasant to have, and will afford a great
deal of pure enjoyment. The more we know about the beautiful trees, the
more we will value them, and find entertainment in admiring them.

It is a good plan to bring home from our rambles small portions of them,
so that we can examine them minutely at our leisure. The bark, the
leaves, and the blossoms are the most important; they are what we look
at to recognize a tree, and we should have specimens of each. The first
necessary step is to find some way of arranging and preserving them. A
good method is to get some pasteboard or stout paper, and cut it into
sheets of convenient size--say eight inches long and five wide. Then a
box will be needed to keep them in, so that they will not get lost or
soiled. Give one sheet to each tree, and upon it paste a piece of the
bark, a leaf, and a blossom. The bark should not be taken from the tree
where it is too coarse and clumsy, but where it is nearly smooth and
perfect, and gives the best idea of the tree; nor should too thin a
piece be taken, as when it gets dry it may wrinkle up and crumble to
pieces. It may be well to take off with the bark a thin layer of the
wood to stiffen it and keep it smooth. A piece of bark about three
inches long and two wide would be of a good size.

The blossoms will have to be pressed and dried before they are attached
to the sheet. Take care to lay them so as to show the face and the
inside parts as plainly as possible. It may be well in some cases to
press two or more blossoms, laying them in different positions, so that
every part can be seen.

The leaves will be easy, as they are mostly flat. If they are small,
several may be taken, or a little twig. If the under side of the leaf is
very different from the upper, or is remarkable for its hairs, or for
any reason, one leaf should be placed with the under side upward. Care
should be taken to do the pasting neatly, so that the sheet will look
pretty, and the parts can be readily examined by the eye alone, or with
a magnifying-glass or microscope, which reveals many interesting facts
that can not be discovered by the eye unassisted.

In this way the trees can be studied at any time, even in winter, when
the world outside is