17 



trp:e habits 



How TO Know the Hardwoods* 



The purpose of this interesting and inspiring book is, as the 

 author states in his foreword, "to open the gateway to the 

 delightful study of trees." Mr. Illick not only opens the gate- 

 way but he leads the reader through to the most interesting 

 accounts of the habits, peculiarities, behaviors and traits of 

 our tree friends. 



The book contains seventeen chapters. Chapter i, entitled 

 "Trees" discusses trees in their relation to human beings and 

 shows how they are in many ways like human beings, doing 

 many things that man does, and in the same way that he does 

 them. 



Each of the next fifteen chapters deals with a certain family 

 of trees. For example, Chapter 2 is entitled "The Willow 

 Family"; Chapter 3, "The Walnut Family"; Chapter 4, "The 

 Birch Family." 



Each chapter is written in a very popular, though scientific, 

 style so that the reader need not be a trained botanist or forester 

 to understand and appreciate it. Simplified keys and tables, 

 in which marked characteristics are used, make the separation 

 of groups and the identification of species very easy. For in- 

 stance in Chapter 3, "The Walnut Family, " the six chief charac- 

 teristics of walnuts and the six chief characteristics of hickories 

 are given in two parallel columns. In like manner, the black 

 walnut and the butternut are differentiated by enumerating in 

 parallel columns seven contrasting characteristics of each. 

 This visualized method of identification is used wherever pos- 

 sible throughout the entire book. In addition to these keys 

 and tables, much interesting, useful, and in many cases, historical 

 infomation about each of the important species is given. 



The illustrations, consisting of numerous plates and text 

 figures, are chosen with great care. These are very clear and 

 inspiring and will be very useful in becoming acquainted with 

 our North American tree friends. 



* Tree Habits. Joseph S. Illick of the Pennsylvania Dept. of Forestry and 

 Waters. Published by American Nature Association, Washington, D.C., 

 1924, 337 pages, illustrated. 



