The weekly times-record. (Valley City, N.D.) 1912-1922, 1913-07-10
NATURE STUDY IN THE HOME.
BY Carolyn D. Wood.
DAILY ChautauQuan.)

DAILY Chautauquan.)
One way of broadening life Is to
travel so as to meet new people and
see new conditions of living, but this
delightful means Of acquiring knowl.
edge is not yet within the reach of
everyone. Perhaps circumstances,
over which you have no control, have
made it impossible for you to leave
home. If so, has it occurred to you
to examine your surroundings in
search of some means Of broadening,
not only your own life, but the lives
of other members Of the family; or
Of finding some way Of keeping: In
touch with the younger boys and girls
so that you may help them know and
appreciate everything that forms q
part Of their natural environment; or
of creating some common interest In
the community as means of awaken
ing desire In the hearts Of the young
people to remain at home and devote
themselves to improving the condi-
tons Of country living.
One great purpose Of nature study
is to learn to acquire Information first
hand through the training Of the eye,
so that new beauty and new truths
may be found even in ones own sur
roundings. 1t Is not 80 much what
you see as how you Sc it, not so much
what you do as that you do 1t just
little better than anyone else, that
counts in life. ....
With these thoughts in mind we are
going to suggest that you take an in
ventory of your acquaintance :, with
things that are so familiar that you
have never imagined there could be
anything new or interesting to learn
about them. 1t is barely possible that
some of the following questions may
suggest lines of thought, which if fol-
lowed up, may lead you to make col
lection plants, seeds or insects for the
purpose of investigating the best and
easiest means Of getting rid Of those
that are injurious, or of protecting
those that are beneficial. A first hand
acquaintance with grain and weed
seeds, such as oats, barley, wheat, rye,
mustard wild oats, French-weed, ETC.,
would enable you to determine the
quality of seed purchased for plant.
ing. This would prevent the harvest
of crops of oats so mixed with wild
oats as to be of but little commercial
value, and make impossible the appear
ance Of the great fields of mustard
that are a menace to all crops. Such
lines of study would prove not only
of interest to the young people in the
family but profitable to the commun.
ity in which you live.
The following series Of questions
cover variety Of subjects, and when
you have answered them you win un.
derstand some Of the delight that may
be yours If you will but learn to live
so that you see and understand more
fully the world in which you live,
move and have your being.
What is the relation between. the
blossom at the end Of the corn.stalk
and the part that forms the ear?
Does the potato have a blossom?
II so. have you seen the seed?
Does the grass that grows in your
yard have any blossom?
What is the color Of the box.elder
blossom? .
What is that part Of the willow that
you call the "pussy?"
When does a plant become a weed?.
Why are weeds like pumps?
Why is bird able to balance itself
on branch Of a tree without danger
OF falling of when asleep?
How does a hen drink?
Where do the new feathers Of hen
come from?
How many joints are there in the
leg of a horse?
On which part of his foot does a
horse stand?
What is the difference between the
teeth Of a horse and the teeth Of q
COW?
Can q cat chew her food? Why?
Is there any difference in the length
of a rabbits fore and hind legs? OF
what value Is this to the rabbit?
When gopher stands erect on what
part Of his foot does he stand?
Does a fly ever grow?
Why does, putting oil on water where
mosquitoes are kill them? 8f ahni
M i5l "a - 1.- & 49, a
Last Saturday evening at the Marsh
o. T.