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tion of the writer made some incisions on tlie bark, cutting 

 and partly stripping it down an inch or two ; the result as 

 seen, was a branch of a red purple instead of yellow. It 

 would seem that a lack of nourishment or water may pro- 

 duce a darker color ; if so this may explain why some red 

 maples of the same age, and growing in the same vicinity, 

 change to yellow, while others change to scarlet or crimson. 



In the middle of August several red maples seen in dif- 

 ferent localities were ablaze with crimson color. Each tree 

 was visited and the cause of the color investigated. One 

 was found to be deeply girdled by the woodman's axe : one 

 had the bark entirely peeled off to the height of six feet, 

 probably b}' hoodlums ; another, a beautiful shade tree in 

 the city, had one magnificent branch of crimson-scarlet, 

 while the others retained their ordinary verdure. The 

 owner of the residence before which the tree stood admired 

 its beauty, but was unable to account for it. The explana- 

 tion was simple : a horse which had daily stopped at the 

 tree, had gnawed the bark badly on the color side ! The 

 leaves of elm and ash in city streets, frequently mutilated 

 in a similar manner, turn prematurely yellow, and fall. 

 Such, besides the unsightly appearance of the trunks, are 

 the effects of utilizing trees in cities for hitching posts. 



Several maple trees with bright crimson leaves were 

 noticed in a wooded swamp. When the^brakes and small 

 bushes were brushed aside, the trunks close to the ground 

 were noticed to be somewhat darker than usual, but it did 

 not seem probable that it could be the result of a fire, as the 

 soil was still wet, but such proved to be the fact, as a farmer 

 residing near by stated that one had been set by bicyclists 

 in February. Two other instances of premature coloring 

 by forest fires were observed later in dry woods. 



Of the numerous kinds of insects directly attacking the 

 leaves, those most effective as a rule in modifying the color, 

 appear to be the diminutive ones which pierce minute holes 

 and very leisurely suck the juices, such as the aphides, 



