Tree Study 



743 



How far will a maple key fly on its wings ? Plant a maple seed where you 

 can watch it grow next year. 



3 . Make leaf prints and describe a leaf of the maple, showing its shape, 

 its veins and petiole. Are the leaves arranged opposite or alternate on the 

 twig ? Make leaf-prints or sketches of the leaves of all the other kinds of 

 maples which you can find. How can you tell the different kinds of maples 

 by their leaves ? 



4. If your tree stands alone, measure the ground covered by its shadow 

 from morning until evening. Mark the space by stakes. What grows 

 beneath the tree? Do grass and other plants grow thriftily beneath the 

 tree ? Do the same plants grow there as in the open field ? 



5. Does your maple 

 get its autumn colors 

 all at once, or on one or 

 two branches first? At 

 what time do you see 

 the first autumn colors 

 on your tree? When is 

 it completely clothed in 

 its autumn dress? Is 

 it all red or all yellow, 

 or mixed? If it is yel- 

 low this year do you 

 think it will be red next 

 year? Watch and see. 

 Sketch your maple in 

 water-colors. 



6. At what time do 

 the leaves begin to fall ? 

 Do those branches 

 which first colored 

 brightly shed their 

 leaves before the others ? 

 At what date does your 

 tree stand bare ? 



7. Find a maple 

 tree in the forest and 

 compare it with one 

 that grows as a shade 

 tree in a field. Why 

 this difference ? 



Winter Work 8. 

 Make a sketch of your 

 maple with the leaves 

 off. What sort of 

 bark has it ? Is the bark on the branches like that on the trunk ? Are the 

 main branches large ? At what angle do they come off the trunk ? Does 

 the trunk extend up through the entire tree? Is the spray fine or coarse? 

 Is it straight or crooked ? 



9. Study the winter buds. Are they alternate or opposite on the 

 twigs ? Are they shining or dull ? 



Blossom of striped maple. 

 Photo by Ralph Curtis. 



