Trees, Shrubs and Vines 
to the preceding. The name of sour gum, to one famil- 
lar with the tree’s most notable feature, carries his 
thoughts to the woods in autumn, when, rivalling the 
dogwood’s brilliancy, and of much greater size, before 
which even the maple pales, it is a mass of vivid uni- 
form scarlet, the most striking feature in the scenery. 
It has a wide range, though not one of the more abun- 
dant trees. The leaf is ‘‘ simple and entire,’’ as a bota- 
nist would say, inclined to the obovate in form, and by 
no means ‘‘stylish’’; and the shelving sprays of foliage 
help one to identify the tree at a long distance. It is 
essentially a forest-growth, tolerated rather than favored 
in cultivated grounds. In the West it is called pepper- 
idge, but its Indian name, tupelo, is the prettiest—too 
sweet for its sour juices,—and as we wish to make the 
best of an indifferent matter, we will always hereafter 
call it tupelo. 
KENTUCKY COFFEE-TREE.—To know a tree thor- 
oughly it must be studied in winter: this season is a 
great revealer of secrets. ‘Trees are sometimes as big 
hypocrites as men and women, and when you see one 
that in summer is all suavity and grace, wait till winter 
before you make a final estimate. An elm carries one 
disposition through the year; but some species are the 
incarnation of a snarl from fall till spring. Such a one 
is the Kentucky coffee-tree, its few coarse branches 
snappishly angular; its appearance quite justifies its 
other name of ‘‘stump-tree.’’ 
The botanist knows what to expect in the way of fo- 
liage when fine twigs are lacking—there will probably 
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