GETTING AC^AINTED WITH fHE TREES 



lindens on Long Island just as prim and trim 

 as any in Berlin. Indeed, there is a sort of 

 German '^offiziere" waxed -mustache air of supe- 

 riority about them, anyway! 



There is an all -pervading Middle States 

 tree that I might give a common name to as 

 the "fence -post tree," because it is so often 

 grown for that use only, by reason of its 

 enduring timber and its exceeding vigor under 

 hard usage. Yet the common black locust is 

 one of the most distinct and pleasing American 

 trees of moderate height. Distinct it is in its 

 framework in winter, mayhap with the twisted 

 pods of last season's fruits hanging free ; dis- 

 tinct again in its long -delayed late -coming 

 acacia -like foliage; but fragrant, elegant and 

 beautiful, as well as distinct, when in June it 

 sets forth its long, drooping racemes of whitest 

 and sw^eetest flowers. These come only when 

 warm weather is an assured fact, and the wise 

 Pennsylvania Germans feel justified in awaiting 

 the blooming of the locust before finally dis- 

 carding their winter underclothing! 



For years a family of my knowledge has 

 held it necessary, for its proper conduct, to 



2IO 



