OUR NATIVE TREES, 43 



which they helped to plant. We deplore the exodus of our young 

 men from the New England homesteads to the West and other 

 parts of the country. If we would keep them, we must make 

 them love the land of their birth ; and I believe one factor in doing 

 this is to attach them to the soil through the practice of tree plant- 

 ing. 



The Red maple, Acer rubrum. also known as the Swamp (and 

 improperly as the White) maple, is in m}' judgment too little es- 

 teemed, as a tree for ornament and shade. When this is alter- 

 nated with the rock maple the two kinds form, together, a far more 

 attractive row for the roadside than either alone. This arrange- 

 ment breaks up the monotony and stiffness of a row of one kind 

 only ; and gives, especially in October, that mingling of gorgeous 

 colors, of mellow tints and shades, so characteristic of the autumn 

 foliage of these trees. A fine grouping of these two species is 

 sometimes seen in nature where a few tall rock maples form the 

 centre of the group, while the red maples, lower in stature, are clus- 

 tered around. The red maple is richly worth growing near our 

 homes for the brilliant scarlet blossoms, which precede the dainty- 

 leaves that, in crimson tints, soon follow. This tree, although oc- 

 cupying with us many tracts of low and swampy ground almost to 

 the exclusion of other trees, thrives well on high lands if started 

 from the seed on similar ground. But an almost certain failure 

 will be the result of setting in dry ground a maple or any other 

 tree taken from a swamp. 



The White, Cut-Leaved, or Silver maple, Acer dasi/carpum, is 

 rare, as a native, in Massachusetts. It grows naturall}' near 

 streams, which it is frequently found overhanging ; but flourishes 

 well upon the streets of our towns. It is a tiee of rapid growth 

 and graceful ramification of limbs, and has a foliage attractive in 

 form and cheering in the silvery sheen which it shows in the 

 breezes. It is too tender a tree and too liable to be broken by ice 

 for the colder hill regions of this State. Numerous variations and 

 " sports " from this tree are propagated by nurserymen, and some 

 of them are notably fine for the lawn and for special ornamental 

 ' purposes. 



The Norway maple, Acer platanoides^ a large spreading tree with 

 deep green shining leaves, and the English Sycamore maple, 

 A. Pseudo-Platanus, having much the aspect of our rock maple, are 

 valuable additions to our natives ; but lack the beautiful coloring- 

 displayed by the latter in autumn. 



