240 THE BOOK OF FORESTRY 



SHRUBS 



The shrubs are the "little people" of the forest. They 

 are woody plants which branch directly at the ground 

 instead of combining all their growth into a single stem 

 as do the trees. 



Certain species like the witch-hazel and the rhodo- 

 dendron are trees in the South while in the Northern 

 States, owing to less favorable climatic conditions, a 

 shorter growing season, etc., they become bushy. In 

 the same way trees may take on a prostrate form near 

 the timber line on very high mountains. As one climbs 

 a high mountain range the trees get shorter and 

 shorter until finally as the region is approached where 

 tree growth gives way to rocks and everlasting snow 

 the trees found there, like spruces and firs, for in- 

 stance, cannot raise their heads over several feet above 

 the ground on account of the cold. Each root system 

 nourishes a dense mat of branches which may cover 

 many square feet of surface but which is only a foot or 

 two in height. 



The number of shrub species found in all parts of 

 the United States is enormous, there being no less 

 than seven hundred different species in the hawthorn 

 genus alone; so a very large book is needed to describe 

 them all. A very few of the most common are given 

 here and special attention has been paid to the larger 

 and more attractive kinds which are to be found in 

 parks and gardens. Aside from their use in ornamental 

 planting many of the shrubs yield dyes, drugs, etc., 

 and such are being cultivated on a small scale in dif- 

 ferent parts of the country. The study of shrubs like 

 that of trees yields large returns in the form of added 

 pleasure to walks in the woods and it is hoped that the 



