148 



AMERICAN FORESTRY 



all the seeds radiate and upon which they are packed 

 tightly side by side. A circle of fine, tawny, stiff hairs 

 is attached to the base of each seed. These balls of but- 

 ton-like heads of seeds ripen in late autumn and usually 

 remain attached to the branches far into the winter, and 

 some of them may hang on to spring. During late winter 

 and early spring these balls break up and the hairy seeds 

 are scattered widely over the forest floor where they 

 germinate as soon as warm weather is at hand. The 

 seeds are distributed after the manner of the dandelion 

 seed, with which they have many points in common. 



In winter the smooth, reddish-brown, pointed buds 

 are a sure means of identification. They are complete- 

 ly surrounded by a leaf-scar and covered with a single 



A ONE-YEAR-OLD SYCAMORE SEEDLING 

 It is almost three feet high and developed on a pile of sand. 



bud-scale. If one takes a good look at the bud of the 

 sycamore, it will be easy to recognize it any time during 

 the winter months. The winter buds and the leaf-scars 

 are so distinctive and such positive characteristics that 

 one cannot confuse this tree with any of its associates. 



The occurrence of the sycamore is also helpful in dis- 

 tinguishing it, for usually one finds it along the banks of 

 streams, the border of ponds, or other wet places. In 

 winter one often sees long wavy lines of sycamore trees 

 which mark the course of a stream. They stand out 

 conspicuously among all other trees because of their 

 wliite bark and their distinctive crown forms. 



'Ihe wood of the sycamore tree is uniformly pale 

 brown, sometimes tinged with red. It is a clean-looking 

 wood and presents a good appearance when manufac- 



UNMISTAKABLE IDENTIFYING CHAR.\CTERS 

 The fruit, flowers and leaves of the Sycamore are all distinctive. 



tured, which accounts for the fact that it is used exten- 

 sively in the manufacture of novelties and kitchen uten- 

 sils. If one examines the many household articles offered 

 for sale in a 5 and 10 cent store, it will be found that 

 many of them are made of sycamore wood. Brush 

 backs, mouse traps, kitchen utensils, building blocks are 

 among the many articles made of it. 



Sycamore wood is not durable, and consequently it is 

 rarely used where it comes in contact with the soil. The 

 average life of untreated lumber in exposed situations 

 is usually placed at ^from three to five years. The life 

 of individual boards or planks, however, may vary from 

 this figure depending upon the quality of the wood and 

 the condition in which they are placed. 



FOUR MASSIVE SYCAMORES 



Many years ago a Sycamore Ball composed of many hundred 

 seeds may have been dropped on the spot where these four 

 massive trees now stand. 



