HARDWOODS ON THE COUNTRY ESTATE 781 



winter lifting its pointed seed shafts into Leaves are of the characteristic hnden, 

 the blue heavens for all the birds in the heart — shape with notched edges, going 

 world to feed upon (and it's seldom that direct to brown in the fall, coming out 

 there aren't a few of them twittering late and dropping early. Fruit a small 

 about up there during the winter, too), pea on the end of a stalk sticking out 

 No need to plant in fresh liriodendrons, at an angle from a wing which grows 

 — ^if there is a big one about he will sessile on the twig and enables the pea 

 people the earth with tulip trees, seeding to float for some distance in the air, 

 mostly a few hundreds of yards to the at least clear of the parent tree when 

 northeast of himself due to the prevail- falling. The European linden has been 

 ing southwest winds of autiunn. Young planted much among us but is quite 

 forest-grown ones are hard to trans- vulnerable to insect attack while ours 

 plant, so that if you need one to decorate is immune. Both can be bought from 

 some conspicuous vantage point where nursery or transplanted from wild 

 there is little likelihood of a seed being stock. Grows best in granite, lime- 

 blown, either seed it yourself or get a stone and clay base soils, in moist 

 young nursery specimen, a 12-foot tree localities — anywhere that is favorable 

 costing you $1.50. Identification of to hemlock, sugar maple, and white ash. 

 this tree is easy even when young. The one I know best lived on my father's 

 Look for a large blunt-ended leaf some- place, the soil base being red limestone 

 thing like a maple leaf with the point clay, and the tree throve mightily, 

 cut off. In young trees these leaves having a diameter of about 2 feet and a 

 are huge, reaching 14 inches in length, height of fifty-five. 



and they are often of irregular shape The two gum trees are represented in 

 so that they are apt to be taken for a nearly every forest, but are at their 

 sassafras except that the aromatic finest in sand base soils with a hardpan 

 sassafras odor is lacking. The flower underneath keeping the soil wet and 

 is a large, yellow and orange tulip, and ferny. Both the sweet gum and sour 

 fruit a long green cone which turns gum, or tupelo, are striking trees, 

 brown during the fall and is composed unique in every respect. The sweet 

 of a sheaf of winged orange seeds, gum grows straight as a lance in the 

 blown far and wide during the winter, forest, with a fine broad crown at the 

 You will find that nature has been general height of the growth surround- 

 kind in the matter of tulip trees for ing it; in the open it puts forth a multi- 

 they grow on any base soil not too dry tude of side branches so that the 

 and there will surely be several giants columnar trunk is lost sight of, but the 

 to look at besides not a few young ones beauty of these branches more than 

 in any forest of over 10 acres anywhere repays. I would be chary, however, of 

 in our area except the northern border, clearing away too much around a 

 Not hardy in the land of the spruce, forest sweet gum, for it at once puts 

 however, its northern limit being forth a multitude of side buds up and 

 about southern Vermont. Lirioden- down the trunk and the beautiful 

 dron belongs to the magnolia family column is soon lost to view in a fuzzy 

 and is our sole northern representative, coat of short branches. In the autumn 

 The linden is another lone repre- the sweet gum is in its glory, for its 

 sentative of a large and distinguished characteristic star-shaped leaves go 

 family, but our American species is one into the most gorgeous shades of deep 

 of the finest. Judging by its scarcity red and purple, making it a plume of 

 we do not begin to appreciate it, for, pure color that is a joy to look upon, 

 with its fine proportions, its abundant. For this reason young saplings trans- 

 white, fragrant blossoms and odd fruit, planted from the nursery on the wood- 

 it is a most fascinating tree to have land borders of meadows and glades 

 about. And, as a bee tree it is un- will be a good investment as they grow 

 excelled. With a few of them in your their side branches at the same time 

 forest go ahead and set out your hives; that they put on height and the result 

 the bees will never lack for honey is a handsome broad tree always 

 flowers until your lindens arc through, strikingly beautiful and positively gor- 



