ARBOR DAY. 159 



Silver Maple (Jennie) : My sister Red Maple and 

 myself are both called Soft Maple. I make a very rapid 

 growth, and am found by the side of streams. I am often 

 planted as a shade tree, and in the far West many are 

 planted for shelter belts and for timber. 



Basswood (Maud) : I am a fine shade tree, my home 

 a moist, rich soil. My fragrant flowers furnish a great 

 amount of excellent honey for the bees at a time when 

 most other flowers have disappeared. My timber is soft, 

 light, and tough, and not apt to split, good for cabinet 

 work, boxes, broom handles, etc. My proper name is 

 Linden. 



Black Cherry (Ethel): With our beautiful blossoms 

 we need not be envious of the orange groves of Califor- 

 nia. I am one large snowball of blossoms in the spring. 

 My fruit is much liked by the birds, and my wood is 

 fine, light, durable, and looks much like mahogany. 

 My cousins are the wild plum, crabapple, mountain ash, 

 hawthorn, juneberry, spirea, the apple, pear, quince, and 

 the peach, and we all belong to the rose family. 



Black Walnut (Frank) : I am not ornamental, nor am 

 I a good neighbor, for I sometimes poison other trees that 

 live near me. In spite of my bad qualities, I am liked 

 because I can be converted into cash at any moment. 

 Some of my brothers have sold as high as $2,000. Those 

 who care for us, care for a fortune. My relative, the 



