8G ACER SACCHARINUM. 
reason, it is not much used in civil and naval architecture. In Maine, JNew 
Hampshire, Vermont, and farther north, where the oak is not plentiful, the tim- 
ber of this tree is substituted for it, in preference to that of the beech, the birch, 
or the elm. When perfectly seasoned, which requires two or three years, it is 
used for axletrees, spokes, runners of common sleds, mill-cogs, and for chairs, 
and cabinet-work. It is also sometimes used for the frames of houses, keels, 
and the lower frames of vessels, piles, and foundation pieces for mills, canal 
locks, and for many other purposes where strength is required, and the work is 
not exposed to the alternations of moisture and dryness. The wood of this tree 
exhibits several accidental forms in the arrangement of its fibre, of which cabi- 
net-makers take advantage in manufacturing beautiful articles of furniture, such 
as bedsteads, writing-desks, and other fancy works, and for inlaying mahogany 
and black walnut, in bureaus, piano-fortes, etc. These forms or varieties may 
be classified and described as follows : 
1. Curled Maple. Erable gris ondule, French. The undulations or medul- 
lary rays of this variety, like those of the red-flowered maple, are lustrous, and 
in one light appear darker, and in another lighter than the rest of the wood. 
Sometimes the zig-zag lines are crossed by beautifully coloured veins; but, 
unfortunately, the lustre of these shades disappear by long exposure to light and 
air. 
2. Bird's-eye Maple. Erable monchele, French. This variety exhibits small 
whitish spots or eyes, not exceeding a tenth of an inch in diameter, sometimes 
occurring a little way apart, and at others contiguously disposed. The 
more numerous these spots, the more beautiful and valuable the wood. They 
are seen only in old trees, which are still sound, and appear to arise from an 
inflection of the fibres from the centres of their trunks towards the surface across 
the grain. To obtain the finest effect, the wood should be sawed as nearly as 
possible in a direction parallel with the concentric circles. 
In addition to the above-named varieties, two other kinds occur in the wens, or 
excrescences which grow on the trunk or roots of this tree, and like them, are 
covered with bark. The most valuable variety is known by the name of Varie- 
gated Maple-knob, or Loupe d'brable de coidenrs variees, of the French. It pre- 
sents an assemblage of shades, agreeably disposed, sometimes resembling Arabic 
characters, which renders the wood- very appropriate for fancy works, and from 
its scarcity, it usually commands high prices. The other variety, known by the 
name of Silver-tvhite Maple-knob, or Loupe durable blanc argenle, of the French, 
exhibits a silvery lustre by the arrangement of its fibres, and is highly prized for 
the same purposes as the preceding, although more common. 
The wood of this species is easily distinguished from that of the red-flowered 
maple, which it resembles in appearance, by its weight and hardness. There 
is besides, a very simple and certain test. A few drops of water saturated with 
copperas, (sulphate of iron,) being poured upon samples of different woods, that 
of the sugar maple turns greenish, and the white maple and the red-flowered 
maple change to a deep blue. The ashes of the sugar maple are rich in the 
alkaline principle, and it has been asserted, that they furnish four-fifths of the 
potash exported from the United States to Europe. In the forges of Maine, 
New Hampshire, Vermont, and places farther north where this tree grows, its 
charcoal is preferred to that of any other wood ; and it is said to be one fifth 
heavier than that made from the same species in the middle and southern states. 
The extraction of sugar .from this tree is a valuable resource in a new coun-' 
try where it abounds; but it is obvious that this mode of obtaining sugar is only 
destined for a certain stage in the progress of society, and eventually gives way 
to the sugar of commerce, produced by cane. For this reason, we shall not 
detail the process of its manufacture, as it cannot be regarded as a matter of 
