232 SYLVAN SKETCHES. 



the Virginian Scarlet-flowering, and Sir Charles Wager's 

 Scarlet-flowering Maple. The latter produces its blossoms 

 in larger clusters than the common kind, and is therefore 

 more esteemed. There is a variety of this tree, called 

 the Curled Maple: the wood being marbled, utensils 

 made of this are considered more valuable than those of 

 any other wood. 



The American Sugar Maple, Acer saccharinum, will 

 grow to the height of forty feet : the leaves are deeply 

 cut, and glaucous on the under side ; the flowers have no 

 petals, but are white, and very pretty ; coming out before 

 the leaves. 



From this Maple the inhabitants of North America 

 make large quantities of sugar, by tapping the trees early 

 in spring, and boiling the juice. It is supposed that they 

 obtain sugar from other species of Maple also, but this 

 yields the most juice. In its native country, large tracts 

 of land are covered with it ; and it not only yields sugar 

 plentifully, but of a quality equal to the best prepared 

 from the cane. The drawing off and boiling the juice 

 may be done by women and girls ; and when the tree is 

 skilfully tapped, it will last many years. It has been 

 said that the natives not only have enough sugar for 

 their own consumption, but export it also. The tree is 

 not injured by tapping; but, on the contrary, yields the 

 more juice in proportion to the number of times it has 

 been tapped ; and a tree has been known to flourish after 

 forty-two annual operations. 



In a good season, a tree of an ordinary size yields 

 from twenty to thirty gallons of syrup, from which are 

 made five or six pounds of sugar. The trees that grow 

 in exposed situations are said to yield more sap than 

 others : a farmer of Pennsylvania, having planted a num- 

 ber of these trees in his meadow, obtained, twenty years 



