THE MAPLES 



15 



A SUGAR MAPLE TREE WITH A HISTORY 



It was planted in 1876 and when 30 years old had a breast-high 

 diameter of 14 inches. 



always easily distinguished by the silvery white under 

 surface of the leaves and by the deep clefts in the leaves, 

 the bases of which are round, while those of the Red 

 Maple are sharp-angled. The Silver Maple is usually 

 found along the banks of rivers and other streams. It 

 occurs from New Brunswick and Ontario south to Flor- 

 ida and west to Oklahoma and Dakota. In its wide 

 range it has a number of common names. Among them 

 are White Maple, Soft Maple and River Maple. 



The Silver Maple blossoms very early in spring be- 

 fore the leaves have made their appearance. In fact, it 

 is among the earliest of our native trees to blossom. In 

 most localities the flowers appear before those of the Red 

 Maple. The flowers are crowded towards the ends of 

 the branches, each lateral bud containing from three to 

 five blossoms. They range in color from reddish to crim- 

 son, and are favorites for the honey bee which swarm 

 about them in great numbers on the first warm days of 

 spring. Its fruit matures early in summer and is larger 

 than that of any of the eastern Maples. The bark is 



somewhat furrowed and separates in long scales which 

 are loose at both ends and attached at the middle. This 

 is a helpful distinguishing characteristic at all seasons 

 of the year. The bending down of the branches and the 

 distinct upward swoop of their small ends is also a posi-_ 

 tive means of identification. 



The Silver Maple may attain a large size upon favor- 

 able situations. It is not unusual to find a specimen one 

 a hundred feet in height and from three to four feet in 

 diameter. The wood is much softer than that of the 

 Sugar Maple, but is used for a wide range of purposes. It 

 is especially prized in the manufacture of fruit baskets 

 and berry boxes. The wide spreading crown and the 

 drooping branches also recommend this tree for orna- 

 mental planting, and a beautiful cut-leaf variety with a 

 weeping habitat has been developed. Before planting 

 it for ornamental purposes one should know that it is 

 short-lived and that its branches are so brittle that they 

 are readily broken off by the wind and by snow and ice 

 pressure. 



The Red Maple is ever mindful of its common name. 

 At all seasons of the year some part of it is distinctly 

 red. In winter the beautiful red twigs are marked with 

 conspicuous white lenticles and dotted with clusters of 

 reddish buds. Early in spring, before the leaves have 

 made their appearance the red clusters of flowers appear, 

 and in early summer the red winged fruit is conspicuous 

 and hangs down from the branches on long drooping 



FRUIT OF THE MAPLE 



With a little study one may soon readily distinguish the maples 

 by their fruit. 



