SUGGESTIONS FOR TREE STUDY. 



199 



SUGGESTIONS FOB TREE STUDY. 



BY E. EARL DU BOIS, OGDENSBURG, NEW 

 YORK. 



In the whole realm of nature study 

 there is to me no subject so fascinating 

 and of so much real worth as the study of 

 trees and their relations with their sur- 

 roundings. They combine the useful 

 with the beautiful, and can be studied 

 from both the aesthetic and economic 

 standpoints. As living things, they as- 

 similate food through their roots, carry 

 it up and down through their cellular 

 structure, and build it up into woody 

 fibre, and all the time breathe through 

 their leaves and give off water vapor — 

 three life processes which are parallel to 

 those of men and animals. Trees are 

 everywhere common. They may be 

 studied in any place, at any season of 

 the year and during all stages of devel- 

 opment. They will become the friends 

 and companions of man; or, if he de- 

 mands it, give up their lives to serve 

 him. 



The writer has been a life-long student 

 of trees, and some of his observations 

 may be of interest to others who desire 

 to become more familiar with this inter- 

 esting branch of nature. 



To get the most out of the study of 

 trees, they must be regarded as individ- 

 uals ; particular trees being selected and 

 every change in their growth and devel- 

 opment carefully noted, from season to 

 season and from year to year. It is 

 not enough to know every kind of tree 

 by its name, valuable as this information 

 is ; it is not enough to wander through 

 the forest and admire the trees for their 

 beauty of form and foliage ; the vital 

 processes of their life, the changes which 

 are constantly going on in and around 

 them, and their stru^Pfles for existence 

 against environmental conditions must 

 be known. They will then become re- 

 lated directly to our own lives, and that 

 delightful sense of ownership in and 

 regard for the trees will be realized. 



At each returning springtime, I would 

 select several trees of different species 

 for study during the year, as well as 

 continue to watch for any changes that 

 may be going on in those that have been 

 studied during orevious years. Some 

 of these can usuallv be selected in our 



own gardens or, at least, near to our 

 homes ; but in order to get a sufficient 

 number of species it is usually necessary 

 to mark trees in some field or forest 

 where they can be seen at least once each 

 week during the springtime, and occas- 

 ionally during the remainder of the year. 

 Several species should be selected in one 

 family to show likenesses and differ- 

 ences ; for example, two or three kinds 

 of maples should be observed ; and, on 

 the other hand, widely different species 

 should be noted, to show how each keeps 

 its individuality and how each species 

 responds to different conditions. 



The study of a group of trees can be 

 begun at any season, but winter is the 

 best time. The naked forms can then 

 be seen, their manner of branching, the 

 angles made by the branches, the ar- 

 rangement of the buds, the form of bud 

 scale and leaf scar and the "annual ring'' 

 markings of the different years' growth 

 can be more easily seen than in summer 

 and at a time when most nature-study 

 subjects are inaccessible. It is well for 

 the beginner to keep a note-book. As 

 spring approaches, mark a few small 

 branches on each tree, note changes from 

 week to week as the buds swell, which 

 develop leaves and which flowers ; where 

 each are located, and many other things 

 which will suggest themselves to the 

 student. 



To illustrate what can be done by 

 marking branches, I will give one exper- 

 iment. Mark a branch on some tree or 

 bush. In early spring cut away all the 

 large buds which were formed the pre- 

 vious year, then the buds on the two- 

 year-old part of the branch will begin 

 to grow after being dormant for a sea- 

 son, and carry on the life of the branch. 

 This illustrates the remarkable provis- 

 ion of nature for the tree's welfare in 

 case the outer branches bearing the 

 new buds are destroyed by storms or 

 the buds eaten by birds. 



In some such way an endless number 

 of experiments can be made and many 

 interesting observations carried on. 

 They may be made for pure pleasure, or 

 as a stepping stone to scientific research. 



The phenomena of nature move in a 

 continuous procession, forward and up- 

 ward. We may look first at the seed, 



