1094
THE NEW ZEALAND GAZETTE.
[No. 32

successive leaves.) Note the “ eyes ” of the potato ; plant several “ sets ”
of potatoes ; also slips of geranium, heliotrope, leaf of begonia, &c. ; like-
wise crocus-bulbs, iris, &c. Watch their growth. Note the rootlets, root-
hairs, &c.

Rear various plants, those named above or others ; place some of
them in the school windows. Turn the pots round from time to time ;
do any of the leaves or stems turn round towards the light? Put
some plants in a dark place, and others in the light ; after a few days
note the differences.

Take several young plants or seedlings—sow-thistle, oat, wheat, carrot,
bean. Note the kinds of roots. Is there one main root, or are there
several fibrous roots?

Note parts of flowers, several kinds of flowers ; leaves, their veins, &c. ;
fruits ; seeds and seed-vessels.

Take young saplings of oak or other trees. Cut the stem horizontally
and vertically. Note inner and outer bark ; sap-wood, heart-wood, and
in some cases the pith.

Identify the chief wild plants found in the neighbourhood, including
the chief weeds ; the chief plants in cultivation in the district, including
grasses ; also the chief forest and orchard trees. Remark where possible
their roots, buds, branches, flowers, fruit, seeds, &c.

Let the children keep diaries of phenomena within their observation :
the date of sowing of various crops, of the appearance of the wheat, &c.,
above the ground ; the dates of the appearance of buds of various kinds
on trees.

Note the yield of various kinds of crops. Grow different varieties of
wheat in different soils. Try varieties of other farm plants. Grow
specimens of different grasses, &c. Note length of time from sowing to
the various stages of the growth up to seeding.

Pour some water on dry sand hollowed out into a cup-shape ; pour
some water in like manner upon dry clay, then upon clay that has become
saturated with moisture.

Take some garden-soil which has been dried as before. Crush it
carefully, and sift it through muslin. Note what is left in the muslin.
(Small stones and pieces of vegetable-stems.) Wash the sifted soil with
pure water, pouring off the muddy water carefully into a bucket, after
allowing the remainder to settle. Wash again and again until clear water
only comes off. Examine what is left behind, and what has settled in
the vessel into which the muddy water has been poured. (Clay.) What
is left behind in the other vessels? (Sand.) What does the garden-soil
contain?

Repeat the experiments with the subsoil.

Take some garden-soil ; weigh it. Dry it by placing the vessel con-
taining it in a vessel with water in it, and keeping the latter for some
time at the boiling-point. Weigh it from time to time until it ceases to
lose weight. How much water has been driven off? Take the dry soil ;
wash it well with pure water, and pour the latter off carefully so that
the water poured off is quite clear. Dry the soil again. Has it lost
weight? Why?

Collect and examine various insects, including the grubs, chrys-
alides, and the full-grown insects. Rear a few moths in boxes, noting
the stages of development. Note the plants on which the grubs or
caterpillars are found or feed. Note as far as you can the habits and the
life-history of the various insects. Are they noxious or not? Do birds
feed upon them ; if so, what birds?

Use a thermometer to find the temperature of the air, of warm
water, of the surface of the ground. Add half a pint of cold water to
half a pint of warm water, observing the temperatures before and after
mixing. Find the temperature of the steam over boiling water, and also
that of a mixture of ice and water. Take readings of the thermometer
twice or three times daily in the shade and in the sun, and, if possible,
maximum and minimum readings.

There should be a few simple experiments to show the constitution of
air, production of oxygen, burning charcoal in oxygen, testing product
with lime-water, &c. ; “ soda-water ” ; coal-gas ; ammonia, its solubility
in water, &c. ; composition of water ; iron and iron-rust ; the distinction
between mixtures and chemical compounds ; acids and alkalis, effect
on litmus, on violet flower ; comparative density of liquids ; use of hydro-
meter and lactometer ; solutions ; emulsions ; &c.

The work begun in Standard IV. should be continued in the upper
standards in conjunction with cottage gardening, small plots being
cultivated by the individual children for the experimental illustration
of the lessons taken within the school, and a somewhat larger plot for