Lake Maxinkuckee, Physical and Biological Survey 359 



plished. The charm that first took men's eyes, of great masses up- 

 turning their leaves to the wind and forming rounded mass after 

 mass like looming thunder heads, is one that cannot be reproduced 

 on the narrow limits of a small estate. It is one of those fugitive 

 charms of wild things which cannot be transplanted, and in the case 

 of the silver maple most will be accomplished by paying attention to 

 the individual tree, and by propagating especially choice forms. 

 Along the streets of Defiance, Ohio, one tree was noted with the 

 more or less festoony habit described above ; another with exquisite 

 pink color of the younger leaves, making all the branches pink- 

 tipped. 



Along various rivers — the Mississippi for example — the great 

 crops of seeds falling on the water float to shore, where they are left 

 by the receding waters. There they come up in thickly sown rows 

 extending for miles. One can in a short time examine innumer- 

 able examples of seedlings and note the variations; the most com- 

 mon variation is for the young plant to have three seed leaves and 

 its subsequent leaves arranged in whorls of three instead of op- 

 posite. There are indications that this habit has a tendency to 

 right itself. It certainly does in some cases, and very likely the 

 majority if not all secondary branches will be normal. Another, 

 but rare, tendency is the production of splashed leaves; whether 

 this is permanent remains to be seen; some such trees are now 

 being reared. 



A clump of the young seedlings at a favorable location near the 

 water's edge was under daily observation during the spring of 

 1913. When the water rose, saturating the ground where they 

 grew, the leaves changed to a purplish red, giving the mass of 

 plants all the gayety and attractiveness of a posy bed. When the 

 waters receded and the soil dried out the leaves returned more 

 nearly to their normal green. 



501. RED MAPLE; WATER MAPLE 



ACER RUBRUM L. 



Not so common as the preceding; most of the trees indeed are 

 planted trees along the road back of the cottages at Long Point : a 

 few trees found also on the east side. It usually blooms somewhat 

 later than the preceding, and the flowers are a trifle more showy. 

 In blossom April 11 ; seeds ripe May 23. The flowers offer a great 

 attraction to bees, and the trees in blossom were humming like 

 hives. The leaves turn brilliant red in autumn. They were in the 

 height of their splendor about October 21. 



