434 AMERICAN FOREST TREES 



apex, and is irregularly serrate. The base of the leaf is rounded; also 

 the sinuses, which extend far into the body of the leaf. The upper 

 surface of the leaf is bright green, the lower a silvery-white. In the fall 

 this tree is entitled to the name scarlet ; for then the brilliant hues of the 

 leaves are remarkably fine. 



The range of red maple covers more than a million square miles, and 

 touches every state east of the Mississippi river, and west of that stream 

 it extends from South Dakota to Texas. It prefers rather swampy 

 ground, but wants fertile soil. It is frequently found on the banks of 

 creeks and rivers, and rarely on hillsides. It is most abundant in the 

 South, particularly in the lower Mississippi valley, while trees of larger 

 size are found in the valley of the lower Ohio. In the North it takes 

 more to low wet swamps where it sometimes grows in such thickets as 

 almost to exclude other species. 



The best red maple trees attain a height of 100 feet or more, and a 

 diameter of four feet or less. The average size is seventy feet high and 

 two in diameter. The form of the tree, like that of all other maples, 

 depends much upon the situation in which it grows. Good saw timber 

 is not often cut from this species near the outer borders of its range. 



The wood is about three-fourths as strong as hard maple, and is 

 five pounds lighter per cubic foot, but is about six pounds heavier than 

 soft or silver maple. It may, therefore, be considered that in some 

 important points red maple is midway between hard and soft maple. In 

 color it is light brown, slightly tinged with red. The sapwood is thick 

 and lighter in color than the heart. The tree is usually not of rapid 

 growth. The contrast between the springwood and summerwood is not 

 strong. The wood is very porous, but the pores are so small that the 

 unaided eye cannot discern them. The medullary rays are numerous, 

 but thin, and are seldom considered in working the lumber. 



Mills which saw this maple do not separate the lumber from other 

 maples. The woodsman knows the difference, but the lumberman does 

 not consider it worth while to pile the sawed stock separately. It 

 sometimes goes to market as hard maple, sometimes as soft, but never 

 under its own name. Consequently, it has no uses which are not also 

 common to other maples. Lumbermen cut it when they find it mixed 

 with other hardwoods where they are carrying on logging operations. 



Red maple is made into flooring, interior finish, and veneer box 

 material. Veneers are also made for furniture. These are the most 

 important uses for the wood, but the manufacturers of woodenware 

 employ it for numerous commodities, such as trays, bowls, ironing boards, 

 grain scoops, snow shovels, clothes racks, garment hangers, and clothes 

 pins. This species shows birdseye effect similar to that of sugar maple. 



