Ontario Teachers' Manuals: Nature Study Part 10

How are the edible parts stored for winter use?

Compare the plants that are crowded, with others of the same kind that are not crowded.

Compare the rate of growth of the plants in a plot that is kept hoed and raked with the rate of growth of plants in a neglected plot.

BULB PLANTING

The planting of bulbs in pots for winter blooming should be commenced with pupils in Form I and continued in the higher Forms. As a rule, the potted bulbs will be stored and cared for in the home, as most school-rooms are not heated continuously during the winter. Paper-white narcissus and freesia are most suitable and should be planted about the fifteenth of October, so that the plants will be in bloom for Christmas.

LESSON ON BULBS AND BULB PLANTING

~Materials.~--The bulbs to be planted.

As many four-inch flower-pots or tomato cans as are required.

Soil, composed of garden loam, sand, and well-rotted manure in equal proportions. Stones for drainage.

Sticks for labels (smooth pieces of shingle, one and a half inches wide and sharpened at one end, will answer).

Pictures of the plants in bloom.

~Observations.~--The attention of the pupils is directed to the bulbs, and they are asked to describe the size, form, and colour of each kind of bulb.

A bulb is cut across to make possible the study of the parts, and the pupils observe the scales or rings which are the bases of the leaves of the plant from which the bulb grew. The use of the fleshy ma.s.s of the bulb as a store of food for the plant that will grow from it is discussed.

The sprout in the centre of the scales with its yellowish-green tip is observed, and its meaning inferred.

The picture is shown to ill.u.s.trate the possibilities within the bulb.

PLANTING THE BULB

The teacher directs, but the work is done by the pupils, and the reasons for the following operations are developed:

What is the use of the one-inch layer of pebbles, or broken brick, or stone, that is placed in the bottom of the pot?

Why are the bulbs planted near the top of the soil?

Why is the soil packed firmly around the bulbs?

Why must the soil be well wetted?

Why is the pot set in a cool, dark place for a month or more?

_To the teacher._--The pebbles or broken bricks are for giving drainage.

The bulbs are planted with their tips just showing above the surface of the soil and there is about half an inch of s.p.a.ce between the top of the soil and the upper edge of the pot in order to facilitate watering. The potted bulbs must be set in a cool, dark place until they are well rooted. This is subjecting them to their natural winter conditions, and it will cause them to yield larger flowers, a great number of flowers, and flowers that are more lasting. Sand in the soil permits of the more free pa.s.sing of air through the soil. Bas.e.m.e.nts and cellars are usually suited for storing bulbs until they have rooted, but they must not be warm enough to promote rapid growth. The pots when stored should be covered with leaves, sawdust, or coa.r.s.e sand to prevent drying out. The soil must be kept moist, but not wet. Paper-white narcissus, if brought out of the dark after three or four weeks, will be in bloom at the end of another month if kept in the window of a warm room. Care must be taken not to expose the plants to bright light until they have become green. The bulbs of the white narcissus are to be thrown away after the flowers have withered, as they will not bloom again, but freesia bulbs may be kept and planted again the following year.

CHAPTER IV

FORM I

WINTER

LESSONS ON A PET ANIMAL: THE RABBIT

I

The lesson is introduced by a conversation with the pupils about their various pets.

Since we are to have a rabbit brought to the school we must learn how to take care of it, and the proper method of taking care of it is based upon a knowledge of the habits of the wild rabbit.

Where do wild rabbits live?

What sort of home does a rabbit have?

In what ways does this home protect the rabbit?

Hence, what kind of home must we have ready for the rabbit?

What does the rabbit eat?

Are there any of these foods that are not good for its health?

Give a list of foods that you can bring for the rabbit. Why will the rabbit, when kept in a hutch, require less food than one that runs about?

Since the rabbit likes a soft bed, what can you bring for its bed?

II

~Observations.~--The teacher or a pupil brings a rabbit to the school-room, where, during recreation periods, the pupils make observations on topics suggested by the teacher, such as:

Its choice of food; its timidity; its movements--hopping, squatting, listening, scratching, and gnawing.

These observations are discussed in the cla.s.s and are corrected or verified.

_To the teacher._--Wild rabbits live in the woods or in shrubbery at the edges of fields. The home of the rabbit is either a burrow under ground or a sheltered place under a root or log closely concealed among the bushes. This home is dry and affords a shelter from enemies, and from wind, rain, and snow. From this we know that we must provide a dry bed for our rabbit in a strong box in which it will feel secure, and in which it will be protected from wind and rain. The food of the rabbit consists of vegetables and soft young clover and grains. It also gnaws the bark of trees, and in winter it feeds upon buds. We can, therefore, feed our rabbit on carrots, beets, apples, oats, bran, gra.s.s, and leaves of plants, and we must provide it with some twigs to gnaw, for gnawing helps to keep its large chisel-shaped teeth in good condition. We must be careful not to give it too much exercise, and we must not give it any cabbage, because this is not good for the rabbit's health. A dish of water must be placed in the hutch, for the rabbit needs water to drink.

III

Details, if studied in isolation, are uninteresting to Form I pupils.

Detailed study should be based upon the animal's habits, movements, and instincts, and each detail should be studied as an answer to questions such as: How is the animal able to perform these movements? How is the animal fitted for this habit of life, etc.?

Watch the rabbit moving. How does a rabbit move?