4 Bulletin 194 



Two sets of keys are given. One is based upon characters which 

 are present during the summer; the other uses the winter characters 

 as a basis for identification. 



Photographs have not been used as illustrations because they are 

 too indefinite and give all characters equal emphasis. This generally 

 conceals the essential marks necessary for identification and affords 

 little help to the student. Accurate line drawings are substituted for 

 photographs, since they have proved to be much more serviceable in 

 classwork. 



It is believed that with the aid of the drawings and descriptions 

 given in this bulletin any person will be able to identify any Vermont 

 tree. If, however, difficulty is found in naming a given tree, specimens 

 of flowers, fruit, leaves, wood, etc., mailed to the Extension Service, 

 Burlington, Vermont, will be named without charge, if of such a char- 

 acter and received in such condition as will admit of identification. 



HOW TO STUDY THE TREES 



Trees are such familiar objects that the people who dwell in nearly 

 every portion of this country see them daily. Trees give cooling shade 

 in our parks and dooryards and along our highways ; they lend their 

 beauty to the landscape and relieve it of monotony ; they yield many 

 kinds of fruits, some of which furnish man and the animals of the 

 forest with food ; and they furnish vast quantities of lumber for a 

 multitude of uses. It is important then that every person, whether in 

 the schools or beyond school age, should become acquainted with our 

 trees. Most people know a few of the more common trees but are 

 ignorant of the great wealth of trees of various kinds about them. 

 Some persons who may have wished to learn more have been hindered 

 for lack of a teacher and others have been dismayed by the v^ry multi- 

 tude of manuals to which they have had access. 



In beginning a study of trees the student should be careful to con- 

 fine himself to well established facts. Once started he should proceed 

 slowly, assimilating each new discovery before seeking another. He 

 should begin with the trees nearest home and then becoming familiar 

 with these in all their aspects, he should extend his trips afield. Not 

 only should he be able to name the trees when they are fully clothed in 

 summer garb, but he should know as readily the same trees when only 

 the bare branches stand silhouetted against the sky if he desires to gain 

 a thorough knowledge of his subject. 



