43 



parts of staircases. It is used in turning for wooden bowls and wooden- 

 ware generally, for band boxes, and for a variety of minor articles where 

 strength and lightness are requisite. A coarse paper is made from its 

 shavings which are first reduced to pulp, and the inner bark is manufac- 

 tured into bast, an article described amongst the minor products of the 

 forest. 



THE MAPLE, (Acer) whose leaf is the emblem of Canada, as the rose is of 

 England, contains several species, but a similarity pervades all, so that the 

 description applies to them collectively. It is a lofty tree, with branches 

 nearly at right angles, bent and contorted in every direction. It grows 

 on the best of land, and is always indicative of a rich soil. Its foliage is 

 particularly luxuriant, and when touched by the frosts of autumn is 

 remarkable for its brilliancy of colouring. The wood of the Maple is very 

 close-grained and hard, highly ornamental and esteemed for the beauty 

 of its fibre ; when polished it possesses a silky lustre. Strong and 

 heavy, it lacks durability, and from its early decay when exposed to 

 moisture it is not sought after in civil or naval architecture. It is used 

 for heavy furniture, cabinet work and for railway carriages where 

 strength is required. A peculiar arrangement of fibre in some speci- 

 mens, in concentric circles, resembling the eye of a bird, has given the 

 name " birds eye " to such varieties, which make handsome articles of 

 furniture and picture frames, and command a high price. From the sap 

 of several varieties of this tree is manufactured " maple sugar " and 

 syrup, described elsewhere. Maple when obtainable is universally pre- 

 ferred for fuel, from the great heat it throws out. The White Maple 

 (Acer Dasycarpum), is a large tree from sixty to eighty feet high, with 

 a trunk five to six feet in diameter, common in the east, with wood of 

 little value, soft and white. The Striped Maple (A. Pennsylvanicum,) 

 not abundant, seldom attains more than thirty feet in height, with 

 small trunk ; wood white, close-grained and very hard. The Red Swamp 

 or Soft Maple (A. Rubrum), is a large tree generally in swampy and low 

 grounds, wood whitish or rose-coloured, close-grained, moderately hard, 

 and susceptible of a fine polish ; largely used in cabinet-making, for 

 turning and for woodenware. The Sugar or Eock Maple (A. Saccharinum), 

 grows from sixty to eighty feet high, with a trunk two to four feet in 

 diameter, and thrives in uplands, or rocky ridges; its wood is hard, 

 close-grained, smooth or compact, and is extensively used for flooring, 

 cabinet work, turning, and preference is given to it for shoe-lasts. Sugar 

 is largely obtained from this species. The Mountain Maple (A. Spicatum), 

 a northern species, cited by Professor Macoun, is but little known. The 

 Vine Maple (A. Circinatum), of the Pacific coast, a tree thirty to forty feet 

 high, or at times only a shrub forming dense thickets along streams, 

 whose vine-like stems, take root wherever they touch the ground, affords 

 a white, close-grained, tough wood, used in the absence of ash for tool 

 handles. Dr. Dawson says this tree is never found inland. Another 

 Pacific coast Maple (A- Glabrwn), is mentioned by Professor Macoun, but 

 is apparently little known. A. Macrophyllum of British Columbia attains 



