36 A MANUAL OF FORESTRY 



Red cedar is not fastidious as to soil for it is often found on 

 ledges and sand plains. Although slow growing it is a long-lived 

 but seldom in New England does it attain a height of over 

 sixty feet or a diameter of over twelve inches. 



Its seed, which is in the form of a berry, is largely distributed 

 by birds. It is supposed that some chemical action which takes 

 place in the bird's stomach aids germination. In old pastures 

 reproduction is plentiful under old hardwood trees and along 

 fence lines. 



The wood is very durable and in great demand for posts and 

 lumber for chests, but on account of its slow growth it is not a 

 tree to be particularly favored. 



SUGAR MAPLE (Acer saccharum). 



The sugar maple extends throughout the eastern part of the 

 country from the Atlantic to the great plains of Dakota and 

 Oklahoma and south to the Gulf of Mexico. It occurs every- 

 where in New England, but is more abundant in the northern 

 portion and is especially associated with spruce. However, 

 the sugar maple is never mixed with the spruce in the swamps 

 or the higher mountain slopes, but on the lower slopes and 

 gently rolling land where the soil is neither very wet nor dry. 

 It seldom occurs on sand, and is an unmistakably lime-loving 

 species. The maple prefers a well-drained, deep loam soil. It 

 is one of the most tolerant trees as regards shade, and young 

 seedlings do well even where they receive no direct sunlight. 

 Although large-topped and ornamental trees on well-fertilized 

 lands often make a conspicuously good growth, it is on the 

 whole a slow-growing species. In the sugar bushes of Ver- 

 mont and the virgin forests of Maine it is not infrequent to 

 find trees from three to four centuries old. Although like most 

 deciduous trees it is able to reproduce by sprouts from the stump, 

 as a matter of fact it seldom does so in New England except 

 in the southern portion. It more than makes up for this how- 

 ever, by being a very prolific seeder. The seed matures in the 



