UNIQUE EXAMPLE OF THE PROPAGATION OF SUGAR 



MAPLE FROM A CUTTING 



BY GEORGE B. SUDWORTH 



THERE has recently come to my notice through 

 Major Edward K. Campbell, of Clermont, Florida, 

 a most interesting story of how he propagated a 

 sugar maple, now a large tree, from a cutting. As is 

 known, practically all of our native maple trees, and 

 many, also, of the important exotic species, are grown 

 from seed. A few of the fancy, shrubby maples of 

 foreign origin, such as Acer palmatum, A. cissifolium, 

 etc., may be 

 propagated by 

 layers and cut- 

 tings. It is 

 probable that 

 our native vine 

 maple (Acer 

 cir c inatum) 

 could be grown 

 from layers or 

 cuttings. The 

 r e d - f oliaged 

 and cut-leafed 

 and other 

 fancy garden 

 forms of Japa- 

 n e s e maples 

 are commonly 

 grafted on the 

 root-stock of a 

 closely related 

 species. Per- 

 sonally, I do 

 not know of 

 another in- 

 stance in which 

 cutting. 



THE SUGAR MAPLE WHICH WAS SUCCESSFULLY PROPAGATED FROM A CUTTING 



This is the tree which Major Campbell grew from a twig cut from a sugar maple in 1859 and stuck into 

 a potato to root. It is now 60 years old a magnificent specimen 90 feet high, and the pride of the owner. 



the sugar maple was grown from a 



Major Campbell informs me that in 1859 when he was 

 a lad of 15, living on a farm in Windham County, Ver- 

 mont, he cut a twig from a mature sugar maple tree, and 

 sticking the cut-end of the twig into a potato he planted 

 the slip, potato-end down. He said it was common talk 



among farmers that slips of fruit and other trees could be 

 rooted in this way. Being curious to know if a maple 

 could be so grown, he planted the maple slip in early 

 spring, before the buds had opened. The twig took root, 

 and for three years (1859-1862) he protected and other- 

 wise cared for it. 



Leaving the locality in 1862, Major Campbell said he 

 had seen his maple thereafter more or less regularly every 



few years, up 

 to the present 

 time. At an 

 age now of 60 

 years, the tree 

 is about 33 in- 

 ches in diame- 

 ter and 90 feet 

 high. The pho- 

 tographs taken 

 by Miss Lydia 

 B. Franke, of 

 New York 

 City, show dis- 

 tant and near- 

 by views of the 

 tree. Major 

 C a m p b e 1 1 is 

 standing in the 

 nearer view. 

 The tree is 

 growing at the 

 foot of Lede 

 M o u ntain, in 

 Windham 

 County, Vermont, the old farm on which it was planted 

 now being known as "Fairmont Farm," owned by Mr. 

 H. A. Bennett, South Londonderry, Vermont. 



While I personally know of no other instance of 

 sugar maple having been grown from a cutting, it is, of 

 course, quite possible that some one else may have 

 accomplished this feat. 



FEATHERED SENTRIES 



"17" ERY soon after the beginning of the war it was 

 * noticed that cats, dogs, pet and even wild birds, 

 as well as chickens, ducks and geese were aware of 

 distant battles or of the approach of enemies," writes 

 Ladd Plumley in the January number of Boys' Life. 

 "All over the north of England the keepers on game 

 preserves noticed that the pheasants became excited and 

 squawked their alarm when a naval engagement was 

 taking place in the North Sea. In France the approach 

 of hostile airplanes was foretold by the uneasiness 

 shown by bird pets. Early in the war parrots were 



placed in the Eiffel Tower to give warning, long before 

 human eyes and ears could detect the fact, of the ap- 

 proach of enemy planes. Very soon, however, the par- 

 rots became useless, as they became familiar with hostile 

 airplanes and no longer showed the least interest. 



"Of all the animals and birds that gave their warn- 

 ings as sentries, during the initial stages of the war, the 

 bird that by some strange mixup in ideas is supposed 

 to represent stupidity showed the most amazing instinct 

 in detecting coming danger. In August, 1914, through- 

 out Belgium and northern France the village geese 



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