xiv INTRODUCTION 



command. If there is energy to begin the midertaking it will 

 soon furnish its own motive power. Tree students, like 

 bird students, become enthusiasts. To understand their 

 enthusiasm one must follow their examples. 



The beginner doesn't know exactly how and where to 

 begin. There are great collections of trees here and there. 

 The Arnold Arboretum in Boston is the great dendrological 

 Noah's Ark in this country. It contains almost all the 

 trees, American and foreign, which will grow in that 

 region. The Shaw Botanical Garden at St. Louis is the 

 largest midland assemblage of trees. Parks in various 

 cities bring together as large a variety of trees as possible, 

 and these are often labelled with their English and botani- 

 cal names for the benefit of the public. 



Yet the places for the beginner are his own dooryard, the 

 streets he travels four times a day to his work, and woods 

 for his holiday, though they need not be forests. Arboreta 

 are for his delight when he has gained some acquaintance 

 \\ath the tree families. But not at first. The trees may 

 all be set out in tribes and families and labelled with their 

 scientific names. They will but confuse and discourage 

 him. There is not time to make their acquaintance. 

 They overwhelm with the mere number of kinds. Great 

 arboreta and parks are very scarce. Trees are every- 

 where. The acquaintance of trees is within the reach of 

 all. 



First make a plan of the yard, locating and naming the 

 trees you actually know. Extend it to include the street, 

 and the neighbors' yards, as you get ready for them. Be 

 very careful about giving names to trees. If you think 

 you know a tree, ask yourself how you know it. Sift out all 

 the guesses, and the hearsays, and begin on a solid f ounda- 



