How to Know the Trees 



The beginner doesn't know exactly how and where to begin. 

 There are great collections of trees here and there. The Arnold 

 Arboretum in Boston is the great dendrological Noah's Ark in 

 this country. It contains almost all the trees, American and for- 

 eign, which will grow in that region. The Shaw Botanical 

 Garden at St. Louis is the largest midland assemblage of trees. 

 Parks in various cities bring together as large a variety of trees 

 as possible, and these are often labelled with their English and 

 botanical names for the benefit of the public. 



Yet the places for the beginner are his own dooryard, the 

 streets he travels four times a day tc his work, and woods for 

 his holiday, though they need not be forests. Arboreta are for 

 his delight when he has gained some acquaintance with the tree 

 families. But not at first. The trees may all be set out in tribes 

 and families and labelled with their scientific names. They will 

 but confuse and discourage him. There is not time to make 

 their acquaintance. They overwhelm with the mere number of 

 kinds. Great arboreta and parks are very scarce. Trees are every- 

 where. The acquaintance of trees is within the reach of all. 



First make a pkn of the yard, locating and naming the 

 trees you actually know. Extend it to include the street, and 

 the neighbours' yards, as you get ready for them. Be very care- 

 ful about giving names to trees. If you think you know a tree, 

 ask yourself how you know it. Sift out all the guesses, and 

 the hearsays, and begin on a solid foundation, even if you are 

 sure about only the sugar maple and the white birch. 



The characters to note in studying trees are: leaves, flowers, 

 fruits, bark, buds, bud arrangement, leaf scars and tree form. 

 The season of the year determines which features are most promi- 

 nent. Buds and leaf scars are the most unvarying of tree 

 characters. In winter these traits and the tree frame are most 

 plainly revealed. Winter often exhibits tree fruits on or under 

 the tree, and dead-leaf studies are very satisfactory. Leaf arrange- 

 ment may be made out at any season, for leaf scars tell this story 

 after the leaves fall. 



Only three families of our large trees have opposite leaves. 

 This fact helps the beginner. Look first at the twigs. If the 

 leaves, or (in winter) the buds and leaf scars, stand opposite, the 

 tree (if it is of large size) belongs to the maple, ash or horse- 

 chestnut family. Our native horse chestnuts are buckeyes. If 



4 



