The roots of all trees spread out in the ground about the same distance as their foliage. The little rootlets or feeders are at the ends of the root branches. When the rain falls the foliage acts as an umbrella and carries the water to the outer leaves, where it falls to the ground just over the little rootlets. These rootlets drink it in, and it is carried up through the tree in the sap to nourish every part as it needs. On this page is a picture of the rock or sugar maple from which maple-sugar is warm, sunny days come, which are followed by cool, freezing nights, the sugar season begins. The sugar-maples are tapped, and one or two little spouts are driven into each tree. Under these a bucket is hung. The sap drips or flows through the day. It is gathered in tanks. These tanks are either drawn on sleds to the sugar-house, or they are connected by pipe lines, as in the picture, with the vats in the sugar-house. Here the for as soon as the buds are out the sap becomes bitter. Most of the maple sugar of the world is made in the northern part of the United States, especially in the northeastern part, and in From these sections it is to other sections and tries to be sold. Find out its price per gallon as syrup or per pound as sugar. Make a list of all the nut trees. Tell when they blossom; in what month their fruit is ripe; how it is set free. Make a list of all the fruit trees which you know or can find out about. Tell in what soil they grow; the kind of fruit they bear. On the next page is the picture of a cocoanut palm grove. The cocoanut palm grows in the hot regions Canada. sent own. Try to find out what they are. Also, find out the uses of the birch. They grow in colder regions than other deciduous EVERGREENS. How do the leaves of the evergreens differ in shape and position from those of the deciduous trees? Can nuts you think of any advantage to the tree world. in winter because of this arrangement? What is the seed of each which you know? How does the seed get away from its home? meat of the nut and a quantity of WHITE CEDAR milk. This milk is drunk by the natives of the hot countries. The nut is enveloped in a very thick husk, which makes the fruit seem of great size. It is too large for the smaller animals to store or for the wind to .carry. "Jack Frost" does not appear, so the evergreen Bring in twigs of each evergreen which grows in your neighborhood. Sketch them, being careful to note their manner of growth. Bring in the fruit, watch its opening and dispersion of seed. Bring in specimens of wood. Observe, smell, and taste of the wood. Tell how it differs from the "naval stores," are procured. wood of the deciduous trees. Tell how the hem- If we were to visit the colder parts of the temperate countries we should find more evergreens than deciduous trees. The wood from some of them is of great value for ship-building. Evergreens are usually found growing with birches. On the low plains bordering the Atlantic coast, in both America and Europe the Southern pines grow. There are sev eral varieties of them The naval stores are resin, pitch, tar, turpentine, and rosin. The pines are boxed and chipped, as in the picture. The resin, or crude turpentine, flows into the receptacle made for it. It is then distilled for the oil or "spirits of turpentine." Rosin, the substance left behind after the distillation, is largely used in the making of paper and soap. Tar is largely manufactured from resin and turpentine. The pure wood-tar is procured, how GATHERING TURPENTINE AND RESIN. ever, by an entirely different process. Find out from the dictionary and other sources the uses of these prod ucts. Why are these products called "naval stores"? Learn what you can in regard to their com mercial value. Describe each scene here, rep resenting the turpentine industry. A FOREST IN A TEMPERATE COUNTRY. barrens. From the picture, can you tell why? There are many dense forests on the earth. Thick forests, pathless and with heavy underbrush, are in both the hot and colder temperate countries. They also grow in belts on the sides of high mountains. In the pictures of mountains in other parts of this book, find the forest belts. Compare the forest in a temperate country with that in the hot country, from the pictures on this page. If you note the manner of growth of forest trees, and of those in the open fields, you will see that the forest trees have few spreading branches and grow tall and straight, as if reaching to the sky; while the trees which grow singly in the open field spread their branches and have thicker foli A GROVE OF VERY LARGE EVERGREENS, CALIFORNIA, U. S. A. Many plants and trees grow in the hot countries which do not thrive anywhere else in the world. The plants and trees of hot countries give us a great number of useful products for food, medicines, furniture, and many other things. tries, plants increase in number and kind. The undergrowth and vines in some hot regions are so thick that they are impenetrable. As people travel from the temperate countries toward the cold countries Only low shrubs and few or no other they come to a dense forest region. plants grow in the cold countries. After passing through this region of |