282 THE MAPLES 



EED MAPLE : SCARLET MAPLE : Acer rubrum 



THIS tree is very common, and but few are as widely 

 distributed east of the Mississippi River. Its red twigs, 

 red blossoms, and early red autumn leaves make it quite 

 distinct from the Silver Maple, although in some localities 

 its general appearance is such as has led to a confusion in 

 the mind of the casual observer. Its natural habitat, how- 

 ever, is in moister ground ; in fact, it is practically a swamp 

 tree, although, like the Silver Maple, it, in some localities, 

 proves itself a pest, and for the same reasons. Its wood is 

 substantially the same as that of the Silver Maple and is 

 used for the same purposes. No distinction is made in the 

 market. Both are sold as " Soft Maple," and no one is 

 wronged. If its cultivation is undertaken, it should be along 

 the same lines as for Silver Maple, except that the ground 

 chosen should be moister and more care exercised in gather- 

 ing seeds, for it is more given to produce pistillate flowers 

 on one tree and staminate on another. It blossoms early in 

 the spring, in some localities earlier, if anything, than 

 the Silver Maple, frequently in March ; the seeds are ripe 

 in May and should be promptly gathered and sown. Like 

 the Silver Maple it is a rapid grower, especially in early 

 life, and can be removed into the forest when only one year 

 old, and like that tree it is a fairly good fuel ; its cultiva- 

 tion for that purpose alone would be warranted, especially 

 on ground too wet for better species ; but the cultivation for 

 timber of neither the Silver nor Red Maple would be justi- 

 fied anywhere if better species can be grown in the same 

 locality. 



