30 



FAMILIAR TREES AND THEIR LEAVES. 



prettily triple -formed and have a soft, purplish-red 

 hue. The leaves are ei^ht to twelve inches lono- 

 thin, rusty-downy beneath when young, but event- 

 ually smooth. The straight trunk, perhaps ten inches 

 in diameter, has smooth, shiny, silver-gray bark ; the 

 branches, marked lengthwise with little grooves, are 

 slender and spreading, with bark of a light reddish- 

 brown color. The fruit of this tree is rather shape- 

 less and bulky, three to five inches long, yellow and 

 soft inside, dark brown and wrinkled outside, and has 

 a fragrant, sweet taste greatly prized by the Southern 

 negro. It is ripe in September or early October. 

 In the unripe condition the greenish skin is smooth, 

 with a bloom, and the pulp is disagreeable to the 

 taste. It is said that the fruit has the most deli- 

 cate flavor after having been frozen. In the South, 

 where the trees are common, the fruit is brought into 



market; but, at best, those 

 who like it must confess 

 to an acquired taste. 



Bed Bud— Judas ™ ne rec * 

 Tree. bud is a 



Cercis Canadensis. 



very small 

 tree, 40 or 50, but com- 

 monly not over 25 feet 

 high, famous for the 

 beauty of its dainty clusters of small pale crim- 



