corn is cut, we open it, and let them go to the river."

"How pleasant it is in here!" said Uncle Robert as they walked farther
into the wood.

"Just see how damp the ground is under these dead leaves!" said Susie as
she pushed them back from a little violet that she was trying to pick
with a long stem. "Poor little flowers! How do they ever get through all
these leaves? It would be so much easier for them if it was just green
grass."

[Illustration: The bridge. ]

"But then there wouldn't be any flowers," said Mr. Leonard, "or at least
they would be very different."

[Illustration: HICKORY OAK WILLOW BUTTER-NUT MAPLE WALNUT (leaves)]

"It's the leaves that make the soil so rich," said Frank, digging into
the ground with a stick. "See how they are mixed all through it!"

"Do you know the names of all these trees?" asked Uncle Robert.

"I do," said Frank. "I can tell every tree in the wood."

"How?" asked Uncle Robert.

"By the leaves is the easiest way," said Frank, "but I know some trees
by the bark."