The Laboratory generates resources for you to clear. If you have run out of resources on the available maps, you can use the Laboratory to generate that resource and then clear it to receive the items.

The resources currently available in the Laboratory are:
Grass (clear for Seeds)
Stones (clear for Stones)
Trees (clear for Wood)
Shrubs (clear for Big Leaves)
Ore (clear for Iron Ore)
Beehives (clear for Honeycombs)
Truffle Trees (clear for Truffles)

Still confused? You can view information on the Laboratory by tapping on the ? on the left-hand side of the Laboratory screen.