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Rural School Leaflet 



The dogwood. — This small tree, which is of little use in the way of 

 timber, is a beautiful sight in May when the flowers appear. The large, 

 white, showy " flowers," so-called, are not the true flowers, but are really 

 floral leaves surrounding the true flowers, which are relatively incon- 

 spicuous. This tree never occurs in great numbers, but it is found 

 scattered throughout the woods and always occupies a humble position. 

 The opposite, wavy-margined leaves, which have prominent veins, are 

 a means of recognizing the trees in summer; while the pointed terminal 

 buds form a mark by which the tree may be distinguished in winter. 

 The wood is hard and close-grained, and takes a fine polish; for this 

 reason it is used sometimes for tool handles or other turned articles, for 



Dogwood 



the hubs of small wheels, or for engravers' blocks. The fact that the tree 

 never attains a large size prevents its becoming generally useful, and it 

 is therefore prized chiefly for its ornamental qualities. 



The sumac* — The staghorn sumac is a large shrub, with velvety-hairy 

 branches. The fruit, or seed part, is terminal — that is, on the ends of 

 the branches — and is composed of a dense cluster of red, hairy berries. 



Smooth sumac is often a large shrub, but the branches are smooth. 

 The fruit is terminal, like that of the staghorn sumac, but it does not 

 make such a stiff, dense cluster. 



Poison sumac, or poison elder, is also a large shrub, but it grows only in 

 swamps or moist places. The twigs are mottled brown-and-gray. The 



*We are indebted to Ralph W. Curtis for the material on the sumacs. 



