HOW TO STUDY THE TREES 



People are everywhere associated with trees. Trees give 

 cooling shade in our parks and dooryards and along our high- 

 ways; they lend their beauty to the landscape and relieve it of 

 monotony; they yield many kinds of fruits, some of which 

 furnish man and the animals of the forest with food; and they 

 furnish vast quantities of lumber for a multitude of uses. How 

 important it is, then, that every person, whether school-child or 

 grown-up, should become acquainted with our trees. Most 

 people know a few of our commonest trees, but are ignorant of 

 the great wealth of tree forms about them. Some who may have 

 wished to go further have been hindered for lack of a teacher or 

 dismayed by the very multitude of manuals to which they 'have 

 had access. 



In beginning a study of the trees the student should start on 

 a solid foundation, eliminating the uncertainties and the errors 

 which no doubt have appeared and retaining only the established 

 facts. Once started he should go slow, assimilating each new 

 discovery before seeking another. He should begin with the 

 trees nearest home, and, as he gradually grows to know these 

 in all their aspects, s'hould extend his trips afield. Not only should 

 he be able to name the trees when they are fully clothed in their 

 summer dress, but he should as readily know these same trees 

 when the leaves have fallen and only the bare branches stand 

 silhouetted against the sky. Then, and only then, will he 1 derive 

 the utmost satisfaction from his efforts. 



The characters which are used in studying the trees are 

 habit, leaves, flowers, fruit, buds, bark, distribution and habitat. 

 These will be discussed briefly in the next few pages, the same 

 order that is used in the detailed descriptions of species being 



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