Trees, Shrubs and Vines 



berry will retain their pure white and dull red globules, 

 and nothing is finer for brightening snowy ground than 

 a low thicket of Chinese barberry, almost glittering 

 with its thousands of scarlet drupes, while a single tall 

 " burning-bush M is a permanent conflagration. Earli- 

 est of all, the sumachs lift their dense pyramids of fire, 

 summer's torch- bearers, to spread the flames broadcast 

 through field and forest. 



But it is with neither flower nor fruit that nature pro- 

 duces its masterpiece of landscape scenery, but with the 

 foliage of unnumbered trees, when in autumn the moun- 

 tain slopes and valleys are as gorgeous as if strewn with 

 sunset clouds. Now come 



" The golden days fruitful of golden deeds." 



How trivial the display of earlier months against this 

 avalanche of color ! What rivalry of trees in all this 

 symphony of tones, when the severe oaks and sombre 

 gum-trees, that never before had a thought of brilliancy, 

 beech, poplar, maple, dogwood, sassafras, suddenly dis- 

 play a genius for rich hues that put summer's fairest 

 flowers to the blush, and picturesquely strew the ground 

 with ephemeral mosaics. 



In tabulating the trees according to their autumn 

 coloring it must be remembered that in different years 

 the coloring varies greatly, both in amount and intensity, 

 and that many trees of every species have only withered, 

 colorless leaves. Also that in the gradual ripening of 

 foliage the color often passes through several distinct 

 shades, sometimes becoming darker, as in beech and 

 hickory, sometimes lighter, as in ash. With these 



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