from others, which we decide must be near relatives of the first kind. Be- 

 fore long we have discovered for ourselves the following interesting facts: 



1. Each distinct species of trees in the w^oods has as many individuals 

 as possible. Seedlings of all sorts compete for standing-room. Each yeai 

 a new crop of seed is sown by parent trees. 



2. The individual species are closely related to other species, forming 

 what the botanists call genera. Fifty different species of trees are distin- 

 guished by bearing acorns. They form a single genus, the oaks. 



3. Several related genera compose a family. The nut trees form such a 

 family. The group includes the oaks, hickories, etc. 



The one characteristic by which an oak can be recognized is its acorn. 

 This introduces the beginner, without further study, to all the members 

 of one of the largest and most valuable of the tree families. The cone dis- 

 tinguishes the family of the narrow-leaved evergreens. One peculiarity 

 of its leaf arrangement sets the pines in a genus by themselves. Spruces 

 are a genus distinguished by a few traits. 



To tell one oak from another is to compare differences in bark, leaf. 



