a lake were to ask you what a lake is, what would you say?
What do we find in lakes? Would you not like to sail on a lake?
In the hollows among mountains are great numbers of beautiful lakes. In
their clear waters may be seen the mountains, the forests, and the sky,
as in a looking-glass. At night the moon and stars may be seen below you
as plainly as above.
Here is a picture of a pretty lake in a valley.
[Illustration: A PRETTY LAKE IN A VALLEY.]
You see a river flowing from the hills beyond. Into what is it flowing?
The river that lets the water _into_ the lake is called an _inlet_.
You see another river that lets the water _out_ of the lake. This river
we call the _outlet_ of the lake.
Make a lake on your molding-board, or in the sand near your home.
Represent its inlet and outlet.
Out in the lake is a little piece of land round which the waters play.
We could not go to this land without crossing the water; the water is on
all sides of it. Such a little piece of land is called an _island_.
Did you ever read the story of Robinson Crusoe? You will remember that
he went up a hill in search of water. When he got to the top of the
hill, he saw that he was on an island. How did he know?
Have you ever seen an island? What island was it? Could you sail round
it? What was on every side of it? What grew on it? What is an island?
If there is a brook or lake near your home, how can you make an island?
Opposite is a picture of a river and a lake. Make a map of the same
river and lake on your slate. Notice how the coast or shore of the lake
bends in and out.
_Write the following_:
A lake is water surrounded by land.
The land near the water of a lake is called its shore.
An island is a little piece of land surrounded by water.
LESSON XXVI.
MORE ABOUT FORMS OF LAND AND WATER.
[Illustration: PICTURE OF A PENINSULA.]
An island, as we have learned, is a piece of land with water all round
it. Now, sometimes we see a piece of land that has water _nearly_ all
round it. This form of land is called a _peninsula_. The word peninsula
means _almost an island_.
[Illustration: MAP OF A PENINSULA.]
In the picture we see a narrow strip of land which extends far out into
the water. You will notice that the land has water all round; except at
one place.
What is the name for land that has water on all sides but one? What is a
peninsula?
How would you change this peninsula to an island? What is the difference
between a peninsula and an island?
The narrow neck which joins the peninsula to other land--just as the
neck joins the head to the body-is called an _isthmus_, which means
_neck_.
[Illustration: PICTURE OF A BAY.]
Here is another picture which I wish you to look at. You see where the
shore bends like a bow; and the water runs a little way into the land.
Can you think of anything else that is bent like this? Yes-a bay-window.
Now, when I tell yon that bay means the same as bow, you can almost
guess the name for this bend in the land. It is called a bay. You will
easily remember that little word.
[Illustration: MAP OF A BAY.]
A wide opening or bend in the land, into which the water flows, is
usually called a bay.
Sometimes, when the opening in the bend is long and narrow, it is called
a _gulf_.
On the next page is shown a narrow strip of water joining two larger
bodies of water. The name given to this narrow passage is strait, a word
meaning narrow.
As an isthmus connects two bodies of land, so a strait connects two
bodies of water.
[Illustration: PICTURE OF A STRAIT.]
After a rain make little lakes, rivers, bays, etc. Perhaps you may find
some already made.
See whether you can find in the magazines and books at home pictures of
gulfs, bays, peninsulas, etc.
_Write the following:_ A peninsula is land almost surrounded by water.
An isthmus is a neck of land joining two larger bodies of land.
A gulf or bay is a portion of some large body of water extending into
the land.
A strait is a narrow passage of water that joins two larger bodies of
water.
[Illustration: MAP OF A STRAIT.]
LESSON XXVII.
A TRIP TO THE HIGHLANDS.
Uncle Tom had been telling Fred and me about many strange places he had
seen. Last of all, he told us about some high mountains he had climbed.
We wanted to climb one very much. So father said he would go with us up
a high hill not far from the city.
Mother did not need to call us in the morning, for we woke up very
early. The sky in the east was bright, and we knew that soon we should
see the sun. We wanted to start at once, but mother said it would be
better to have breakfast first.
We put on thick shoes that the stones would not easily cut. Father gave
each of us a stout stick to help us climb. Fred had a knapsack, in which
mother put some bread, cold meat, crackers, and a cup to drink from. In
one corner we put some towels.
We were soon outside the city, walking along the road. We passed a
village, and went through fields and woods. By and by we could see the
land before us rising higher and higher. We saw no longer such beautiful
farms and gardens as we had passed.
[Illustration: "AS WE WENT UP THE SLOPE."]
In a little while we reached the foot of the hill and began to ascend.
As we went up the slope, we came to steep, rugged places that were hard
to climb, where we needed our sticks. The trees were smaller, and there
were many bushes. There were large rocks, too, in the sides of the hill.
At the foot, the weather was quite warm, but it grew cooler and cooler
the higher we went.
[Illustration: "WE COULD SEE THE CITY WITH ITS LITTLE STRAIGHT STREETS."]
"On the summit at last!" cried Fred, as we reached the top.
From where we stood, we could see the city with its little straight
streets, that look so wide when we walk on them. We could see the
house-tops, too, and the church steeples. Then father showed us the
village we passed; and the woods we went through. But the trees looked
like bushes, and some men at the foot of the hill looked no larger than
the baby.
Down the mountain, a little way, we found a spring where the water was
clear and cool. Here we sat down on a rock, and ate the lunch we had
brought. While we rested, we watched the little rill that flowed from
the spring--
"Blue in the shadow,
Silver in the sun."
Down the hill, it was larger, and we saw other rills flowing into it.
When it reached the valley, it was much larger; and farther down, father
said, boats could sail on it.
[Illustration: "IN THE VALLEY LAY A LARGE SHEET OF STILL WATER."]
Before us, in the valley, lay a large sheet of still water.
"Oh, how pretty!" exclaimed I.
"Yes, that is a lake," said father. "How beautiful it looks as the
sunlight plays on its smooth surface! It reflects in its clear water the
sky and the trees around it."
"I can see an island in the lake," said Fred. "Vessels are sailing all
round it."
"Are all islands small, like that?" he asked.
"Oh, no!" said father. "Some islands are hundreds of miles round, and
have many people living upon them."
Fred then pointed to a piece of land extending out into the water, and
asked whether that, too, was an island.
"No," replied father, "that is a peninsula. It is land almost surrounded
by water. And the narrow neck which joins the peninsula to the mainland
is called an isthmus.
"You see the bend in the land, with the water from the lake running in?"
asked father.
"Yes," said Fred.
"That is called a bay. Around every ocean, which is a much larger body
of water, there are many such bays.
"The narrow strip of water, which a boat is just entering, is called a
strait. The strait separates the island from the mainland."
Stretching far away to the east was flat, level land, which father
called a plain. Scattered here and there were many farmhouses and quiet
villages. Little bright, sparkling streams wound their way like silver
threads through the green grass of the meadows. It was a lovely scene
indeed!
The sun was already low in the west as we made ready to return. As it
set--
A wonderful glory of color,
A splendor of shifting light--
Orange and scarlet and purple
Flamed in the sky so bright.
LESSON XXVIII.
SPRING.
Drops of rain and bits of sunshine
Falling here and gleaming there,
Tiny blades of grass appearing.
Tell of springtime bright and fair.
Budding leaves are gently swaying,
Merry glad notes sweetly ring;
Robins, bluebirds, gayly singing,
Tell of happy, pleasant spring.
Violets, in blue and purple,
By the twinkling water clear;
Fair spring beauties, frail and dainty,
Tell the story, spring is here.
Cherry, peach, and apple blossoms
Scattering fragrance far and wide;
Buttercups and pure white snowdrops
Tell of gracious, sweet springtide.
Lillian Cox.
LESSON XXIX.
USEFUL VEGETABLES.
In the heart of a seed buried deep, so deep, A dear little plant lay
fast asleep. "Wake!" said the sunshine, "and creep to the light."
"Wake!" said the voice of the raindrops bright.
The little plant heard, and it rose to see
What the wonderful outside world might be.
[Illustration: A SPROUT.]
What vegetables grow in your neighborhood?
[Illustration: A VINE BEGINNING TO GROW.]
Of which do we use the roots as food? Of which the leaves? Of which the
seeds? Of which the stems or stalks?
Which is the most useful garden vegetable? There is no common garden
vegetable so highly thought of as the potato. How are potatoes planted?
Answer the questions in writing so as to make a little composition about
vegetables.
LESSON XXX.
USEFUL GRAINS.
Wheat and corn are called grain because they are small, hard seeds What
other kinds of grain can you name?
[Illustration; RIPE WHEAT.]
Which of these grains is used the most? Which makes the choicest flour?
Some kinds of wheat are sown in the spring. These are called spring
wheat.
Winter wheat is sown in the fall. A few days of sun and rain, and the
plants spring up like grass, remaining green through the winter.
What color does the wheat turn as it ripens? When it is ripe what is
done with it?
For what is the flour of wheat used?
[Illustration: HARVESTING WHEAT IN THE WEST.]
What is sometimes done with the stalks, or straw?
Indian corn is one of the most useful of plants. Do you know why it is
called Indian corn? It is because the Indians first raised it.
When is corn planted? How is the land prepared for planting? What is
done to the corn while the plants are small? When does it ripen? How
tall does it grow?
[Illustration: SEVERAL KINDS OF GRAIN.]
What is the stem of the corn called? What are the flowers on the stalk
of corn called? On what do the grains of corn grow?
What use is made of the green stalks and leaves? What use is made of the
ripe grain? For what are corn-husks largely used?
Sweet corn, if boiled when green, is an excellent vegetable. It is
preserved by canning.
A large cornfield, with its tall, straight stalks, covered with green
shining leaves and crowned by flowers, is a very pleasant sight.
[Illustration: "ANOTHER GRAIN WHICH WE FIND ON ALMOST EVERY TABLE."]
Corn is sometimes called the national emblem. What does emblem mean?
What use is made of oats; barley, rye, and buckwheat? Some of these
grains are useful in two or three ways.
There is another grain which we find on almost every table. It is rice.
The rice plant, when growing, resembles wheat; but, unlike wheat, it
needs a great deal of moisture. So the rice-grower sows it in fields
which he can flood or drain at will.
Do you know what people live on rice without any meat at all? Ask your
teacher to tell you how rice is raised in China and Japan.
You ought to find something to tell your teacher and classmates about
the grains.
Perhaps you would enjoy drawing some of the grains you have seen.
Choose one of the grains, and write what you have Learned about it from
conversation and observation.
We plow the fields, and scatter
The good seed on the land,
But it is fed and watered
By God's almighty hand.
He sends the snow in winter,
The warmth to swell the grain,
The breezes and the sunshine,
And soft refreshing rain.
LESSON XXXI.
FRUITS.
Name some trees upon which grow things to eat. What do we call such
trees?
[Illustration: "THE ORANGE TREES ARE LOADED WITH GOLDEN FRUIT."]
What fruit trees have you seen? What do we call the place where many
fruit trees grow?
Did you ever pick berries? What makes it hard to pick blackberries?
Name fruits that grow about here. Which grow on trees? Which on bushes?
Which on vines?
Mention the different uses of these fruits.
The orange is one of the most delicious and wholesome of fruits. It
grows only in the warmer parts of our country. In winter as well as in
summer, the orange trees are loaded with golden fruit and fragrant
blossom. The blossoms are white, and are very beautiful.
Name other fruits that grow in warm parts of the country.
People who live in cold countries need such food as will make them warm.
What kinds of food are best in cold countries? What people live mainly
on fish and the flesh of animals? Do any fruit trees grow in very cold
countries?
What kinds of food are best in hot countries? The people cannot eat
fatty food, for that would heat the body. Do we find in such countries
grain, vegetables and cooling fruits for the people to live upon?
_Write_ answers to some of the questions asked in the lesson, so as to
make a composition about fruits.
LESSON XXXII.
USEFUL PLANTS.
What plant supplies us with much of our clothing? Name articles of
clothing made of cotton.
Did you ever see a field of cotton? In the summer the young plant is
covered with pretty, pale-yellow flowers. In the autumn you see the pod
or boll which contains the cotton.
[Illustration: "YOU SEE THE POD OR BOLL."]
As the pod ripens, it bursts open. The cotton-field is now a pretty
sight--the bright green leaves, yellow blossoms, and snowy cotton all
mingled together. Form a picture in your mind of a field of cotton in
bloom.
The cotton is now picked. The first thing is to separate it from its
seed. This is done by a machine called a cotton-gin.
[Illustration: "FLAX IS A SMALL PLANT."]
Now it is ready to be pressed in great bales and sent to market. It
will, at last, go to the cotton mills and be spun into thread, then
woven into muslin, calico, etc.
Are the seeds of any use? They contain a great deal of oil, which is
pressed out by machinery. What is the name of this oil? What use is made
of it?
There is another plant from which clothing is made.
Do you know what plant linen is made from? Linen comes from the flax
plant.
Flax is a small plant which grows two or three feet high, bearing on the
top a bunch of pretty blue flowers. A field of flax in bloom is a very
pretty sight.
The flax does not grow in a pod like cotton. The stalk of the plant is
covered with a bark, or skin, containing fibers. These fibers are spun
into thread, which is woven into a cloth called linen.
[Illustration: "A PLANT THAT YIELDS NO FOOD."]
The seeds are used for making an oil called _linseed oil_. For what is
linseed oil used?
Do you think people who live in hot countries need the same kind of
clothing as those who live in cold countries?
What kind of clothing should you think was needed in cold countries?
Would such clothes be comfortable in hot countries?
There is a plant that yields no food, drink, or clothing, yet it is used
in nearly every country in the world. Can you tell its name?
Every one has seen it growing. It is tobacco.
Do you think the tobacco plant is as useful as the cotton and flax
plants?
Everybody eats sugar. Did you ever see a table set for supper without a
sugar bowl?
[Illustration: "SUGAR-CANE IS A TALL PLANT."]
The sugar in common use in this country is made chiefly from sugar-cane.
The sugar-cane is a tall plant which looks much like Indian corn when
growing. It is called the sugar-cane because it is filled with the sweet
juice that is made into the sugar.
When the stalks are cut they are taken to a sugar mill. Here they pass
between great rollers which press out the juice. The liquid is then
boiled until it turns to sugar.
Much sugar is made from the sap of the sugar-maple tree. In the early
spring the sap begins to rise. A hole is bored in the tree and a tube
inserted, through which the sap passes to a bucket or other vessel
placed to receive it. The sap is boiled in large kettles and becomes
syrup. More boiling turns the syrup into sugar.
_Write_ what you have learned of _cotton_ and _linen_.
LESSON XXXIII.
FOREST TREES.
In your walks what things please you the most? Is it not the trees?
Trees are very useful to us, and we ought to be very grateful for them.
Name some trees along the streets and in the parks. Are they useful to
us, especially on a hot day? Why? Then what kind of trees do we call
them? (Shade.) Which of these are the first to put on their green
dresses in the spring? Which are the brightest in autumn?
Name some trees that grow in the woods.
[Illustration: A SHADY STREET.]
Name a tree whose wood is dark. A tree whose wood is light. A tree whose
wood is hard. A tree whose wood is soft.
Name some trees that are valued for the color and hardness, or the
beautiful grain, of their wood.
What kind of wood are the desks made of? The teacher's table?
What kinds of wood are used in making chairs? tables? pianos? windows?
floors?
If we wish to make a carriage, omnibus, cart, or wagon, which wood
should we use? Why?
From which trees do we get lumber for building?
Can you name a wood which is very hard and tough, and is used in
building ships?
What do we call many trees together, like these?
What is Arbor Day? Why need we plant trees?
What do we plant when we plant the tree?
We plant the houses for you and me.
We plant the rafters, the shingles, the floors,
We plant the studding, the laths, the doors,
The beams and siding, all parts that be--
We plant the house when we plant the tree.
What do we plant when we plant the tree?
A thousand things that we daily see.
We plant tie spire that out-towers the crag,
We plant the staff for our country's flag,
We plant the shade, from the hot sun free--
We plant all these when we plant the tree.
There are trees much larger than any we find growing here. I am sure you
must have heard of the great trees of California. Some of them are one
hundred feet around, and nearly four hundred feet high,--twice as high
as a very tall steeple. In one of these trees, if hollowed out, a large
family might live.
[Illustration: GREAT TREES OF CALIFORNIA.]
In your rambles in the woods, notice and examine the trees which you
see. Learn to know the trees so that you can call them by their proper
names.
Draw and paint some of the objects noticed; as grains, vegetables,
trees, etc. You will enjoy this very much, and it will help you to see
these things better.
LESSON XXXIV.
FLOWERS
[Illustration: FLOWERS]
A flower is a weak and tiny thing; but there are many flowers, and by
helping together they cover the earth with beauty and fill the air with
sweetness. They seem to have been made to give us pleasure.
It will be easy and useful to learn something about the flowers that
grow where you live. How many flowers can you mention by name? Which do
you know at sight? Where would you go to find them?
Would you find them all growing in the same place? Which can live only
in wet places? Which thrive best where there is but little moisture?
If we take a walk in the fields in the early spring, which flowers shall
we be likely to see? Which later? What color are they? Which are
fragrant? Which most beautiful? Which would you like for your flower
vase? Which would you like to plant and care for in a box of earth or a
garden-bed?
Can you find and name the parts of a plant--root, stem, leaves, bud,
flower? Learn the uses of each part.
Here are some pretty verses on "Spring and the Flowers." Perhaps you
will commit them to memory.
In the snowing and the blowing,
In the cruel sleet,
Little flowers begin their growing
Far beneath our feet.
Softly taps the Spring and cheerly:
"Darlings, are you there?"
Till they answer, "We are nearly,
Nearly ready, dear.
"Where is Winter with his snowing?
Tell us, Spring," they say.
Then she answers, "He is going,
Going on his way.
"Poor old Winter does not love you,
But his time is past;
Soon my birds shall sing above you--
Set you free at last."
LESSON XXXV.
WHAT IS NECESSARY TO MAKE PLANTS GROW.
Plants do not grow in winter. Can you tell why? Plants do not grow in
hot places called deserts. Can yon think of any reason for this?
What two things are necessary to make plants grow? At what time of the
year can they get these?
If a country has a great deal of heat and rain; what can we be sure of
about its trees and grass and flowers?
There are places that have rain enough, but very little heat. How do you
suppose the trees grow there?
You may get information about plants and things by seeing for yourself,
by asking others, and by reading books.
[Illustration: "IF A COUNTRY HAS A GREAT DEAL OF HEAT AND RAIN."]
_Write the names_:
Of some grains that we use for food.
Of some vegetables that we use for food.
Of two plants from which clothing is made.
Of woods used in making furniture.
Of woods used in building our houses.
LESSON XXXVI.
SUMMER RAIN.
Oh, gentle, gentle summer rain!
Let not the silver lily pine,
The drooping lily pine in vain,
To feel that dewy touch of thine,
To drink thy freshness once again,
Oh, gentle, gentle summer rain!
In heat the landscape quivering lies,
The cattle pant beneath the tree;
Through parching air and purple skies
The earth looks up, in vain, for thee;
For thee--for thee it looks in vain,
Oh, gentle, gentle summer rain!
Come thou, and brim the meadow streams,
And soften all the hills with mist,
Oh, falling dew! From burning dreams
By thee shall herb and flower be kissed;
And earth shall bless thee yet again,
Oh, gentle, gentle summer rain!
LESSON XXXVII.
THE PARTS OF ANIMALS.
Animals which live in or near people's houses and are tame are domestic
animals; others are wild.
[Illustration: TIGER'S FEET.]
What animals are found where you live?
Which are domestic? Which wild?
Which of these animals feed upon grass? grains? fruits? flesh?
You know what sharp claws a cat can put out when it pleases. What use
does the cat make of its claws?
How does a cat's paw differ from a dog's? How does a dog seize its prey?
[Illustration: DUCK'S FOOT.]
[Illustration: HEN'S FOOT.]
Compare a duck's bill with an owl's. What use does the duck make of its
broad flat bill? The owl, of its sharp hooked bill?
How do the bills of the hen and the duck differ? Would a bill fitted for
pecking be as useful to the duck as its own bill?
[Illustration: SEIZING CLAW.]
Can you draw a picture of a duck's foot and a hen's foot? For what does
each use its feet?
Would broad web-feet be as useful to the hen as slender toes?
What kind of feet has the sheep? For what are its feet only used? Could
a sheep use feet like those of a cat or a hen?
You see each animal has parts well fitted for the life it leads.
LESSON XXXVIII.
THE COVERING OF ANIMALS.
Name two animals covered with fur.
Two covered with hair. Two covered with feathers.
What do we call the covering of a sheep? Of a pig? Of what use is hair
to animals?
What covering has an oyster? A lobster? A turtle? Of what use is it to
them?
The duck's feathers are covered with an oily coating, which keeps them
from getting wet. Are the feathers of the hen so covered? Why?
Suppose a squirrel's covering were like that of a turtle's, what would
result?
What would result if a bird had scales instead of feathers? You see that
each animal has that covering which suits its habits best.
LESSON XXXIX.
USES OF ANIMALS.
What domestic animals are used for food?
What wild animals are used for food?
[Illustration: "WHAT DOMESTIC ANIMALS ARE USED FOR FOOD?"]
From what animals do we get beef? pork? mutton? veal?
What birds and fowls are used for food? What fishes?
From what animal do we get wool? How is wool taken from the sheep? What
articles of dress are made of wool?
[Illustration: "FROM WHAT ANIMAL DO WE GET WOOL?"]
Name the animals whose skins are used to make leather. How is leather
prepared? Did you ever see a tannery? What do they do there?
From what animals do we get furs?
What is silk?
[Illustration: THE SILKWORM AND MOTH.]
Silk is made by little worms called silkworms. When the worm is fully
grown, it spins round itself a small ball of silk, called a cocoon. If
this cocoon were left to itself, the worm would change to a moth, and
the moth would eat its way out of this little house. But this, of
course, would cut the little threads and spoil the silk. As soon,
therefore, as the cocoon is made, it is put into hot water to kill the
worm. In this way the silk is saved.