branches near the ground while those in the woodland are
slender, tall and free from branches to some distance above the
ground. Point out the lenticels on the bark of birch and sweet
cherry trees and explain how trees breathe. Compare this process
with that of the human body. You may now come across an old stump
and here you can point out the structure of the wood--the sapwood,
cambium and bark. You can illustrate the annual rings and count the
age of the tree. At another point you may find a tree with a wound
or bruised bark and here you can readily make a closer study of the
cambium layer and its manner of growth.

The adaptation of plants to the seasonal changes opens another
interesting field of study for beginners. If the season is the fall
or winter, note how the trees have prepared themselves for the
winter's cold by terminating the flow of sap, by dropping their
leaves too tender to resist the winter's cold, and by covering their
buds with scales lined with down on the inside. Observe how the
insects have spun for themselves silken nests or remain preserved in
the egg state over the winter. If the season is spring or summer the
opposite may be noted. See how everything turns to life; how the
buds are opening, the leaves emerging, the sap running, seeds
germinating and flowers blooming.

The soil conditions on the lawn and in the grove furnish another
interesting feature of comparison and study. In the grove, you can
demonstrate the decomposition of the fallen leaves, the formation of
humus and its value to the tree. The importance of the forest soil
as a conservator of water and its relation to stream flow and soil
erosion can be brought out at this juncture. An eroded bank and a
slope covered with trees and shrubs would provide excellent models
for this study. A consideration of the economic value of the trees
would also be in place.

3. Civic lessons reflected in trees: The community life of trees in the
grove, their growth, struggles for light and food and their mutual
aid can be brought out and compared with the community life among
people. The trees may here be seen struggling with each other for
light and food, forcing each other's growth upward, some winning out
and developing into stalwart and thrifty specimens and others
becoming suppressed or entirely killed. On