p-rog-ressive
/Natu-re Studies
by
G. W. CARVER, M. Ac.,
Instructor in Agriculture at the
Tuskegeb Normal and Industrial Institute,
Tuskegee, Alabama.
^ ^
Price 5 Cents.
TUSKEGEE INSTITUTE PRINT,
1897.
pkog-rbssivb
/Nature Studies
BY
G. W. CARVER, M. Ac.,
i nstifuctok in agriculture at the
tutikeuee Normal and Industrial Institute,
Tuskeuee, Alabama.
"-in® ^ "$9
Price 5 Cents.
TUSKEGEE INSTITUTE PRINT,
1897.
ANYONE DESIRING COPIES OF THIS WORK OR
ANY INFORMATION CONCERNING IT MAY
ADDRESS THE AUTHOR.
PREFACE.
In presenting this list of Progressive
Nature Studies for your consideration , I do
not for a moment presume that there are
no good books or outlines upon the market,
because there are many excellent ones.
Neither do I write to improve upon them,
only as it touches our peculiar needs.
The entire series will be compo-sed of
gleanings from a large number of our
standard works, with some additions of my
own.
Respectfully submitted,
G. W. Carver.
TO THE TEACHER.
In the very beginning, every teacher
should realize that a very large proportion
of every true student's work must lie out¬
side the class-room. Therefore, the success
of these outlines will depend largely upon
your efforts in their presentation.
The study of Nature is both entertain¬
ing and instructive, and it is the only true
method that leads up to a clear understand¬
ing of the great natural principles which
surround every branch of business in which
we may engage. Aside from this, it en¬
courages investigation and stimulates origi¬
nality.
This common fault is apparent in all
outlines pertaining to this work. Students
invariably want to discuss the topic, rather
than give you adirect. answer. This is not
permissable, neither what he or she may
think, unless their thoughts are based upon
facts. There is nothing to be deplored more
in the class-room than to hear a number of
pupils pretending to recite and constantly
telling you what they think with reference
to matters that the intellectual world has
recognized as a fact decades ago.
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THEY MUST KNOW IT.
See that each student is prepared with
slips of plain white or manilla paper, for
making sketches, and insist on their work
being kept very nice and clean ; securing
such as may be worthy for exhibitive pur¬
poses.
The following method of grading has
proven very satisfactory:
Grade (a)—The best.
" (b)—Poor.
•' (c)—Rejected.
Every energetic student will aspire
for Grade (a). This grading only applies to
neatness, as some will naturally draw bet¬
ter than others.
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OUTLINE NO. I.
LEAVES.
(a) Are they all alike?
(b) If not, tell me in what ways they
differ?
(c) Bring a specimen of each one to
class to-morrow.
(d) Hold an oak leaf to the light and tell
me what you see.
(e) What are the little veins for? (Teach¬
er explain.)
(f) See if the veins in all the leaves are
alike
(g) What plants retain their leaves all
winter, and by what general name are all
such plants known?
(h) Of what value to the plant are the
leaves? (Teacher explain.)
(i) Draw as many different shaped leaves
as you can find upon the paper mulberry,
and bring to class.
(j) What leaves have commercial value?
STEMS-
The teacher should at this point make
clear any misunderstanding with reference
to stems.
(a) Are stems all round?
(b) Draw the shapes of as many differ¬
ent stems as you can find.
(c) Are they all solid? If not, why are
some hollow? (Teacher explain.)
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(d) Bring ten different stems to the
class, and be able to tell in what ways they
'differ.
(e) Of what use are stems?
(f) Do you know of any that have com¬
mercial value ; if so, what are they?
(Teacher enlarge upon this.)
FLOWERS.
(a) How many kinds of flowers grow in
your own door-yard? Bring one of each
kind to class.
(b) How many can you find between
the class-room and your home? Name them.
(c) Bring as many different shaped flow¬
ers as you can find to class.
(d) Do all flowers have odor—(smell?)
(e) What is the odor for, and why does
it differ in different kinds of flowers?
(Teacher explain.)
(f) Do you know of any flowers that
have commercial value? If so name them
and state what is made from them. (Teacher
explain.)
(g) Of what value to the plant are the
flowers? (The teacher should see that the
proper answer is given here-)
EXPERIMENTAL WORK.
The teacher must give his personal at¬
tention to each experiment, and see that it
is successfully performed and the proper
conclusions drawn.
This work is designed to strengthen ac¬
tual scientific and practical research, and
to further develop and round out originali¬
ty , freedom of thought and action.
EXPERIMENT I.
Take one each of the following leaves;
cotton, collard and wild cactus, place side
by side on aboard, either in the sun or
shade, leave for several hours. What
changes have taken place in the leaves?
Why?
EXPERIMENT II.
Take a number of stems, leaves and all
from any growing plant (or a variety of
them,) fill a glass tumbler with water, in¬
sert the bouquet of plants; examine the
next day. Where has the water gone.
EXPERIMENT III.
Take from the brook or pond some leaves
and stems of the common arrow-head
(water lily), carry some in your hand and
put an equal number in a tin pail and
cover tightly with the lid; carry for some
time this way, say half an hour. Contrast
(compare) and tell why they look differently,
if so.
TREES.
(a) Name the different kinds of trees on
the school grounds.
(b) How many of these have you at your
home ?
(c) Are they as pretty as ours? If not,
why?
(d) How many upon the school grounds
have real commercial value, and which do
you consider the greatest in value? Why?
(The teacher must see that the proper
answers are given here. See that they make
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an effort, and do not accept "I don't know,
sir," as an answer. Let them find out from
their parents, work it out themselves or in
any way they choose )
SHRUBS.
(a) Name the different shrubs on the
grounds.
(b) What is the difference between a
shrub and a tree?
(c) How many of these have you at
your home, and how do they compare with
ours ?
WRITTEN WORK.
This work will appear repeatedly all
through these outlines, and is to be given
at the teacher's discretion , and may be en¬
larged upon or diminished as necessity de¬
mands. Its main object being to train the
pupil to say the most in the fewest number
of words.
It also teaches three important adjuncts
to good scholarship, viz: Condensation,
precision and clearness.
The work is as follows, and should not
contain more than forty-five words.
(1) Trees as a whole.
(2) Some one tree, giving the following
points:
(a) General character and name.
(b) Size and locality in which it grows.
O) Kind of seed and its use.
(d) Its value to us.
EXAMPLE—WHITE OAK.
The white oak grows in rich bottoms,
has a large body and spreading top; bark
white and rough ; leaves coarse and deeply
notched ; seed an acron, eaten greedily by
hogs. This tree is largely used for lumber,
posts, shingles and baskets.
FRUIT.
(a) What is fruit? (Teacher explain
fully.)
(b) Bring ten different kinds of fruit to
the next recitation.
(c) Are they all of value; if so what?
(Teacher explain.)
(d) Take any kind of fruit, such as an
orange, lemon, apple, squash, peach, pear,
cucumber, pumpkin or potato, split open
and observe numerous small thread-like
bodies, forming a net work all through the
fleshy portion. What are the^e threads,
and of what use are they? (Teacher ex¬
plain )
(e) Are all fruits round? If not, name
some that have other shapes
(f) Bring six to the class that are not
considered round-
(g) What ones usually assume a round
shape and why? (Teacher.—This question
should be fully understood before leaving.)
(h) Does the Irish potato (white potato)
bear fruit?
(i) Sweet potatoes.
(The teacher should make clear any
trouble here.)
SHAPES.
(a) Notice the general shape of the fol¬
lowing trees, and be able to tell in what
ways they differ, viz: elm and magnolia,
persimmon and water oak, pear and apple
tree, blackgum and sweetgum, hickory and
yellow poplar, chinaberry and cedar trees.
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(b) Study them in the same way with
reference to branching
vc) Study the leaves and fruit of each
one in the same way.
(d) Has any of this fruit commercial
value ; if so, what ones?
(Teacher.—See that they answer cor¬
rectly here, and explain any misunder¬
standing.)
(e) How many kinds have you at home?
Name them.
WRITTEN WORK.
(a) Walk briskly for twenty minutes, cov¬
ering as much territory as possible; tell
what you saw.
(Teacher.— Too much stress cannot be
placed upon the importance of this request,
as the object here is to train the mind to
comprehend at a glance what passes before
the eye )
(b) Take a plot of ground, anywhere on
the campus, ten feet square, study it for
twenty minutes and write the result of
your observations
(Teacher.—Here minute details are de¬
sired.)
(c) Examine the woodbine growing on
Alabama Hall and tell what holds it to the
wall.
(d) Describe the Principal's door-yard,
as follows:
(1) Bring only the outline.
(The teacher should give plain, simple
instructions here, with reference to out¬
lines, taking some other yard or similar
subject as an illustration, and in all written
work, rigidly strike out every useless word
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and expression, discourage any attempt to
soar, but lay much stress upon an easy,
free and graceful style of composition.)
(2; The composition complete.
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