46 TREES 



oak ; Venus the myrtle ; Apollo the laurel ; 

 Cybele the pine ; Hercules the poplar ; 

 Bacchus the ivy and vine. There is pro- 

 bably no lover of sylvan glades who has not 

 felt how natural is the association between 

 visible trees and invisible dryads. The imagi- 

 nation readily peoples a wood with unseen 

 beings. 



Passing now to more practical matters, 

 I ask, what do we understand by a * tree ' ? 

 I answer that when we speak of a ' tree,' we 

 mean a plant which attains a height of not 

 less than twenty feet, and has a stem which 

 is composed of permanent wood. Trees vary 

 greatly in general shape, in the trend of their 

 branches, and in the character of their leaves, 

 flowers, and fruit. Many have a distinct 

 facieSy so that one can recognize them afar 

 off. Conifers may be distinguished from 

 hardwoods at a distance of miles. The most 

 convenient means of identification, however, 

 will be found in the stem, leaves, and fruit. 

 In the plates of this book, only the leaves will 

 be drawn, and it is right to observe that, 

 although most of these have been drawn as 

 nearly to the natural size as possible, it has 



