56 Trees, Stars, and Birds 



by these trees, and they should be planted more fre- 

 quently in the United States. They are found growing 

 wild only where the climate is cool. Their scarlet 

 fruits, which attract birds, make them ornamental all 

 winter, and their foliage is admired in summer. The 

 mountain ash has one serious disadvantage : it suffers 

 much from the scale insects which attack members of 

 the apple family. 



Growth affected by light. Have you observed how 

 a plant, when placed in a window, grows toward the 

 source of light ? Notice trees that are growing in open 

 places, along streams, in the edge of a forest, and in a 

 forest surrounded by other trees. Do the branches grow 

 in such a way as to bring the leaves to the light ? Why 

 do forest trees have longer trunks than trees of the same 

 kind that grow in the open (pages 53 and 54) ? 



