JUNE DAYS IN FIELD AND FOREST 



399 



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from its roots ; then, too, it leafs out late and sheds 

 early in the autumn. Its other disadvantages have al- 

 ready been referred to its distorted appearance when 

 leafless, and that it is pretty sure soon to be killed by 

 the locust borers. Notwithstanding this unfavorable 

 record, thousands of people in this country are dead in 

 love with our American locust trees, and it is not at all 

 likely that this love will grow one whit less with the 

 generations to come. Among the pod-bearers, the Lo- 

 cust has many relatives in this country, such as the Red- 

 bud, the Texas 



Redbud, t h e 

 Texan Honey- 

 locust, and the 

 Kentucky Cof- 

 fee tree. 



This las t is 

 one of the most 

 remarkable o f 

 our American 

 forest trees. 

 In the first 

 place, it may 

 grow to be 

 fully one hun- 

 dred feet i n 

 height ; and, 

 although it is 

 to be found 

 over a good 

 part of East- 

 ern United 

 States, it is one 

 of the very 

 rarest of our 

 forest trees. It 

 possessesa 

 very durable 

 light brown 

 wood, which, 

 when obtain- 

 able, is chiefly 

 used for fenc- 

 ing purposes. 

 In some cities 

 we may find it 

 used as a shade 

 tree in the 





V'JP*' 



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COMMON LOCUST TREES IN FULL FLOWER 



Fig. 8 Every one loves this tree and the rich fragrance of its hundreds of showy flowers. 

 The pair seen here grow on the sandy point at Miller, a mile or so west of Mount 

 Vernon, the famous home of Washington, in Virginia. 



streets, while in nature it grows best in moist, rich soils. 

 Its inconspicuous flowers are, according to Julia Rogers, 

 either "greenish white" or "greenish purple"; and she 



says that the tree "is remarkable for its dead-looking 

 frame, which holds aloft its stiff, bare twigs in spring 

 after other trees are clothed with new leaves. But at 

 length the buds open and the leaves appear, twice com- 

 pound, and often three feet long. The basal leaflets 

 are bronze green, while the tips are still pink from having 

 just unfolded. This stately tree, its trunk topped with 

 a close pyramid of these wonderful leaves, is a sight to 

 remember. Often the trunk is free from limbs for fifty 

 feet or more." We find much to observe during the 



month of June 

 in almost 

 any part 

 of the United 

 States ; but it 

 varies both in 

 kind and 

 amount accord- 

 ing to the part 

 of the country 

 we may be in. 

 In Maine one 

 would find 

 what would 

 never be seen 

 in Florida dur- 

 i n g June. 

 North of Vir- 

 ginia, nearly 

 all the birds 

 have finished 

 breeding, with 

 the exception, 

 perhaps, of the 

 cedar birds a 

 species that 

 usually nests 

 long after oth- 

 ers are through. 

 So the princi- 

 pal attractions 

 in the open for 

 the student of 

 nature at this 

 season of the 

 year are the 

 trees, the plants 

 and the insects 

 and spiders, to which must be added all aquatic forms, 

 and of which there are many kinds, all the way from an 

 amoeba to not a few mammals. 



Every tree lover should receive the beautifully illustrated monthly magazine American 

 Forestry. Write to the office 1214 Sixteenth St., Washington, D. C. for a sample copy. 



