784 AMERICAN FORESTRY 



fertile. These burrs hang on as orna- trees in the Interlaken forest and the 



ments nearly all winter and will attract older trees manage to get a growth in 



many a wandering troup of winter spite of competition from the white 



goldfinches and other hungry feathered oaks, red maples and sweet gums which 



citizens. The wood of the sweet gum abound, finally fighting their way up to 



is disappointing. It seems like such a niche in the general forest cover, 



a perfect pole or post, and it peels as The wood is tough, white and strong, 



smooth as if finely sandpapered, but and is used a good deal in wood turning, 



after a month or so it has warped and Poor stuff as a fire wood; makes good 



checked with so many deep cracks in it backlogs. 



as to be entirely untrustworthy for any Belonging to the same family as the 

 purpose whatsoever. Nature has been sour gum are the two dogwoods, both 

 so lavish with this tree as an ornament interesting, and one of them, the flower- 

 that she evidently intended it strictly ing dogwood, one of the most beautiful 

 to remain so. objects in the forest. If Nature has 

 The sour gum is an odd, curious not given you all the dogwoods you 

 denizen of our forests, growing on any want, by all means plant in some as 

 base soil provided that it is wet enough ; they will grow in any base soil nottoodry, 

 prefers sand or clay base for its best in fact I cannot recall a forest south of 

 developments. With us it reaches as- the spruce belt that has not its dog- 

 tounding proportions, 15 and 20 inches woods. In the region of deep snows and 

 thick, generally hollow inside and much intense cold it is sure to be winter- 

 prized by gray squirrels as a rainproof killed; anywhere that 10 below zero 

 and shot-proof home. Even when a is an unusual occurence go ahead and 

 mere sapling the sour gum shows its plant in where wanted. Perhaps its 

 growth characteristics, which are to most distinguishing characteristic, which 

 put up a reasonably straight trunk and it shares with the beech, is its ability 

 then twist the top into a sort of flat to grow in the deepest shade, all its 

 umbrella with all the other branches life, however, whereas the beech has 

 drooping at their tips to match. One to get out to sunlight sooner or later if 

 of the first signs of spring is the red it is going to make a tree. You can 

 leaf buds of the sour gum which are so plant in dogwoods where you know 

 numerous and noticeable as to make a well that they never may hope to have 

 red patch on the landscape wherever a patch of sunlight all to themselves, 

 there is one of these trees. Its leaves yet year after year the lovely white 

 are out early, and soon after come the crown of huge flowers will greet you 

 flowers, green and insignificant, followed every May, and the handsome scarlet 

 by the double berry of the fruit. In berries resulting will feed the robins 

 the fall this tree is a show. Its leaves every fall. The converse of this propo- 

 turn a brilliant crimson, then spots of sition does not follow, for the dogwood 

 dark blue and blotches of purple appear, thrives equally well in the broiling sun. 

 later the whole leaf gets a darker and I am acquainted with two such, which 

 more magnificent purple-black; finally a are the only trees their owner boasts, 

 deep black, and then it falls to the yet his have a fine thrifty crown and 

 ground, the whole process taking the an abundance of flowers. Not only 

 month of October and part of November, that, but for variegated reds, purples 

 Meanwhile its multitude of deep blue- and yellows in the autumn, commend me 

 black berries have attracted every to the leaves of the dogwood bush. It 

 robin in the fall flights and there they takes an air brush in the museum 

 feast from morn till night. It is a hard laboratories to reproduce the shadings 

 tree to transplant and the nurseries do and mottlings of the autumn color 

 not offer it, but it is no trouble at all to of these dogwood leaves. The museum 

 get fine seedling on any site desired, not artists color the white wax imitation of 

 too dry, by planting a seed spot and the leaf a fine yellow, next they stipple 

 saving the finest specimen resulting, on blue spots, and then sprinkle in 

 They endure shade well, in fact we have some of red, and finally tip the leaf with 

 millions of young ones under the parent purple, and at that will be somewhat 



