The Sumachs and the Maples 117 



(Acer platanoides) , both from Europe. Japanese varieties are also considerably 

 used for decorative purposes. 



Maple is the second Canadian hardwood in point of importance and is 

 characterized by the diversity of its uses. It is used for flooring, furniture, 

 vehicles, agricultural implements, boats, interior woodwork in houses, handles, 

 etc. The sugar maple possesses the qualities of hardness, strength, and stiffness 

 in a greater degree than any of the other species and is, therefore, most sought 

 after. * 'Curly" and "bird's-eye" maple, esteemed for furniture making, are 

 unusual forms occasionally met with. The cause of these "sports" is not under- 

 stood. 



The sap of all the maples contains sugar and in pioneer days, in times of scar- 

 city, even the Manitoba maple, the least productive of the family in this respect, 

 was tapped for the purpose of boiling the sap to obtain sugar. In commercial 

 practice, however, only the sugar maple (Acer saccharum) is tapped for sugar 

 making. The maple sugar industry is organized on a commercial basis in 

 Eastern Canada and particularly in the Eastern Townships of Quebec. 



Like the ashes and the dogwoods, the leaves and the winter buds of the maples 

 always occur in pairs on the opposite sides of the twig, and therefore, the twigs and 

 branches must also be of this opposite character. The fruit is composed of a pair 

 of seeds (occasionally three or four) joined together, each seed with a distinct wing. 



ACER SPICATUM, Lam. MOUNTAIN MAPLE 



Common names: Mountain maple, dwarf maple*. 

 French names: Erable batard, plaine bleue, erable a epis, plaine 

 batarde. 



This small bushy tree or shrub is rarely more than 25 ft. in height or more than 

 5 to 7 in. in diameter. It is the smallest of the eastern maples and is found more 

 commonly as a shrub than as a tree. 



The bark is greyish to brown in colour, thin, smooth, sometimes slightly fur- 

 rowed or roughened. 



The twigs are pink to purplish in colour and covered with a delicate bloom. 

 The pith is brown as in the striped maple. 



The winter buds are small, pointed, and slender and of a red or greenish colour. 

 They are smaller in diameter just above the point of attachment, which gives 

 them a somewhat stalked appearance. 



The leaves are three-lobed as a rule, coarsely toothed, thin and papery to the 

 touch, and downy beneath. 



The seeds, which are bright red during the summer, are brown in September. 

 They have widespread wings and are borne in a string along a stalk or raceme. 

 The seed portion has a pit-like depression on one side. 



