THE MAPLE. 79 



itself, and become an inhabitant not easily ejected from 

 our church-yards. Badgers are said to feed much upon 

 the fruit of the bramble. They are certainly very fat 

 and fleshy about the time that the blackberry is ripe ; 

 but it is probable that the acorns and crabs, which it 

 finds at the same season, contribute most to its nourish- 

 ment. 



The maple (acei* campestre) is found growing in all 

 our fences, generally reduced by the hedger's bill to 

 serve the same humble purposes as the thorns and sloes 

 associated with it. Sometimes, however it is permitted 

 to assume the rank of a tree, when, if not possessing 

 dignity, it is certainly beautiful, and becomes an orna- 

 ment in the hedge-row. It is the earliest sylvan beau 

 that is weary of its summer suit ; first shifting its dress 

 to ochery shades, then trying a deeper tint, and lastly 

 assuming an orange vest ; thus setting a fashion that 

 ere long becomes the garb of all except the rustic 

 oak, which looks regardlessly at the beau, and keeps its 

 verdant robe unchanged. Soon tired of this, the maple 

 takes a pattern from -his sober neighbor ash, throws its 

 gaudy trim away, and patiently awaits with all his peers 

 the next new change. In spring the woodbine wreathes 

 its knots of green around the rugged limbs of the ma- 

 ple ; the rose beneath puts on its emerald gems, and 

 then our gallant sir will wear such colors too, fluttering 

 through all its summer's day. When first the maple 

 begins to autumnize the grove, the extremities of the 

 boughs alone change their color, but all the internal 

 and more sheltered parts still retain their verdure, which 

 gives to. the tree the effect of u great depth of shade, 

 and displays advantageously the light, lively coloring 

 of the sprays. We find the maple useful in our hedges, 

 not from the opposition it affords, but by reason of its 

 very quick growth from the stool after it has been cut, 

 whence it makes a fence in a shorter time than most of 

 its companions ; and when firewood is an object, it soon 

 becomes sufficiently large for this purpose. The singular 

 ruggedness of the branches and shoots when they have 

 attained a year's growth, and the depth of the furrows, 

 give it a strongly marked character among our shrubs. 



