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variety, to wliicli the lovers of good trees would do well to give more 

 attention. The North American maples are divided, as to range, into, 

 first, the maples of the eastern portion of the continent ; and, second, 

 those of the Eocky Mountain region and the western coast. The East- 

 ern species are five and the Western four : 



1st. The hard or sugar maple, Acer saccharimim, which lias its home 

 principally in Canada, New York, and the New England States, spar- 

 ingly following the Alleghany Mountains as far as Georgia, and west of 

 the Alleghanies occurring on many of the tributaries of the Mississippi. 

 It is one of our largest forest trees, attaining a height of fifty to eighty 

 feet. The sugar-yielding nature of its sap is well known. Its wood for 

 many purposes of manufacture and for fuel is unequaled. When grown 

 in open ground, it forms a broad-based, round-topped head of dense, 

 dark foliage, clean and usually free from insect depredations, and, taken 

 all in all, probably stands at the head of American ornamental trees, at 

 least for the Northern States. It is of slow growth, and requires care 

 in transplanting and until it becomes well established, after which it 

 will richly repay all the labor bestowed upon it. There is a variety of 

 this species, called black maple, said to be so called from a darker color 

 of the foliage, which differs slightly in the form and pubescence of the 

 leaves, but not sufficiently to constitute a distinct species. 



2d. The white or silver-leaved maple, Acer dascycarpum. This tree is 

 found generally at lower altitudes than the sugar-maple. It occurs on 

 the borders of rivers, rather sparingly in the New England States, more 

 frequently in the southern and western districts. It forms rather a low 

 trunk, which divides into a great many long branches, with a very grace- 

 ful, spreading habit. In favorable situations it attains a large size. The 

 under surface of the leaves is of a pale silvery- white color, and con- 

 trasts beautifully w-ith the rich green of the upper surface, especially 

 when tossed by the breeze. It blooms profusely early in the spring, 

 before the appearance of the leaves, and its large, broad- winged fruit 

 ripens and drops when the leaves are fully developed. It is easily culti- 

 vated and grows rapidly, and hence is one of our most popular shade- 

 trees. It is, however, liable to some objections; the long, slender growth 

 of the limbs renders them liable to be broken by storms and by snow 

 and sleet in the winter, and in some districts a borer has caused great 

 loss by injuries to the trunk. 



3d. The red or soft maple, Acer rubrum. This has a somewhat wider 

 range of growth than, perhaps, any other species, being found from 

 Maine to Louisiana. It grows in low, rich soil ; and on the swampy 

 borders of the large rivers of the South and West it is especially flour- 

 ishing, attaining a great size. Although less vigorous on high lands, it 

 yet maintains a healthy growth. It does not grow as rapidly as the 

 silver maple, but the wood is harder and finer-grained, and the form of 

 the tree closer and more compact. The twigs and flowers are of a deep 

 red color. It flowers and matures its seeds in early spring ; they are 

 only about half as large as those of the white maple, and ripen at about 

 the same time. The leaves are smaller and less divided than those of 

 the white, and, like them, are silvery or whitish on the under surface. 

 As an ornamental tree, it will probably be found more durable and satis- 

 factory than the silver-leaved maple. 



4th. The striped maple or moose- wood, Acer Pennsylvanicum. This is 

 a small tree, seldom attaining a height of twenty feet, but is well adapted 

 for planting in yards and shrubberies. Its native situation is in moun- 

 tainous districts, particularly New England, New York, and in the Alle- 

 ghanies to Georgia. The bark is smooth and light-green, mingled with 



