South Bend news-times. (South Bend, Ind.) 1913-1938, 1915-10-15
October Field Day
For the Children
Progressive Teacher Tells
How to Increase Inter
est in Nature.

4 feid day in October is a great
treat for children. Sit down with your
flock on a sunny slope for a few min
utes and. without your motive being
too apparent. call attention 10 the
blending OF colors OF the October
scene before YOU Tney Will see the
golden air" the quiet light"
When this has been done, says the
progressive teacher. let them seek out
the crimson leaf" the blossom
bright with autumn dew" that looks
through its fringes to the sky" the
"asters by the brookside" that make
asters in the brook" and chase the
fairy queens boats" as they sail
through the misty autumn haze.
After such day, October" ef TO
a Fringed Gentian," by Holmes. Sep
tember'' and October" by Helen Hunt
Jacksonf or Down to Sleep" by the
same author, and "Thristledown." by
Buckham, and any other of the many
beautiful gems in literature about this
season of the year may be taught, and
they will have a real meaning TO the
children.
Among thickets or trailing over low
shrubbery in moist situations in many
sections of the United States the
mountain fringe is found. The vine is
beautiful and delicate and has clusters
of greenish and pink-tinted flowers
dropping from it. The flowers are like
little bags or sacks with draw-strings
at the mouths The leaves are smooth,
compound and divided Gaintily into
three lobes usually. The vine has no
tendrils, but creeps over the thickets
by means Of its slender stems.
Only on a sunshiny day will the
most beautiful of all the gentians be
found with its fringes spread. Its
misty color has all the hues Of Octo-
Der blue The flower is like a deep
vase with four spreading. fringed
lobes at the top. 1t is set in a rather
deep, four pointed cup, bronZy in its
yellow greenness. The plant has per-
pendicular branches and each bears
terminal flower.
The downy gentian, single stemmed,
hairy and rough, with opposite lance
shaped light green leaves, bears its
blossoms at the base Of its leaves and
in terminal cluster. They are blue
violent and have five triangular lobes.
Borders Of wheat field and open prai-
ries are the favorite places for this
plant.
One may pluck a bunch OF soapwort
gentian and imagine that a closed gen
ton has been found. Or one entirely
unfamiliar with either of them may
wish he had discovered the plants
The distinctive feature OF both these
gentians - their closed corollas. The
soapwort, however, is partly open.
while the closed gentian is all its
name alphabetically closed, and the
contractions in it are delicate. white
striped folds which make it most in
teresting. There is also a decided diff
ference in the blues of the two flow
ers. The soapwort is blue-violent or
light lilac-blue The closed gentian is
intense viOlent-blue at the apex and
white at the base.
The thistle is we'll worth study in
October Common everywhere, at
least three varieties may be found
until late-the common, the tall. and
the swamp thistles. The first two are
found in fields and along roadsides
The last. in moist woodlands and in
swamps. The flowers Of all are a
beautiful magenta, distinctive in size.
shape Of calyX, and the arrangement
Of the spines OF the flower envelope.
The spines of the common thistle are
wide spreading; those of the tall are
a little wOOlly with weak bristles;
the scales of the swamp thistle are
woOlly and press closely. Leaves and
stems also differ in shape and texture