The lesson might continue by pointing out the requirements of trees
for water and light. Find a tree on some slope where the roots are
exposed and another which is being encroached upon by its neighbor,
and show how in one case the roots travel in search of water and
food and in the other the branches bend toward the light, growing
more vigorously on that side. Compare the trees on the open lawn
with those in the grove and show how those in the open have grown
with 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.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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