PREFACE, 



It has been thought by the writer, and has frequently been remarked by 

 others, that a series of carefully nuule photographic illustrations of the fresh 

 leaves, fruits, leafless branclilets and typical barks of our various trees would 

 be ajtpreciated alike by the professional botanist, the le-^s teclniieal nature 

 stu<lent, the forester and the luiubernian. My natural interest in the siil)joct 

 and ])eculiar vocation made the task of the preparation of such a work peculiarly 

 inviting to me. I am required to be much in the field observins: the trees, 

 making it my pcrs(mal duty to gather the woods used in tlie juihlishinu' nf my 

 AMERICAN WOODS — in order tliat I may h? -Mv to veueh for authen- 

 ticity — and this gives me miusual o]i|)ortunities. I accordingly entered upon 

 the task with enthusiasm, providing myself with an excellent camera, and adapt- 

 ing it to the i)Oculiar requirements of the work. 



It was not until after much experimenting, as to proper lighting, the elimina- 

 tion of shadow, etc., that satisfactory results were obtained. The thought of a 

 measured background — one ruled into stpiare inches for convenience — 

 occurred as a most satisfactory way of indicating size, which I deeuK'd of 

 greatest importance, owing to the great range of sizes of the objects which I 

 must show on plates of uniform size. It is hoped that this f(Mitur<^ of the work 

 will meet with the approval bespoken for it. 



When once entered upon the wrirk it was fouiul that many and various vicissi- 

 tudes must be encountered, which would unexpect( dly ])rolong the work. Chief 

 among these were the " off " years, during which a species does not bear fruit. 

 For exanr|)le: One- season T coidd not ttntl a single tree of the common Sugar 

 Ma])le bearing fruit, thom:h 1 examine(l many from northern Xew York to 

 Xorth Carolina and westward to Missoni'i. One winter not a solitary twig 

 could I find of the Yellow Birch bearing its dcrmaut catkins, and, naturally, 

 not a tree bearing flowers or fi-uit the next summer. I searched in vain two 

 successive seasons for the ])istillate ilowcrs of the connnon Butternut, so regu- 

 larly did the late frosts of spring destroy them, thouu'h tlu' staminate flowevs 

 appeared annually. 



The shortness of the period, too. during which the flowers or fruits of certain 

 trees are in their ])rinie, or ev( ii exist on the trees, has necessitated close watch. 

 The exact time nnist be aseertaine*] by o!)servatioii, and if, perchance, I miss it 

 I must wait until another year for another o])])ort unity. Tlu'u I may find it an 

 off year (imagine my disa])])ointment I ). and still another year must Im" waited. 

 Procuring >|iecimens from lofty trec-to]i< are trivial ordeals (•om])ared with 

 instances like these. Add to these vicissitudes the distribution of our trees, 



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