THE SYCAMORE. 869 
unhappily, in a greater or less degree, with many 
beautiful things. Dark blotches appear towards 
the end of summer on its surface; and insects, 
too, make their raids upon it, attracted no 
doubt by the ‘honey dew,’ as it is popularly 
called, which gathers on its upper side. The 
leaf-edges also shrivel and turn brown, and then 
the beauty of the foliage is gone. 
But though the leaf is not insect-proof, the 
timber is freed from their ravages, and is useful for 
many purposes. It has a beautiful grain, is of a 
white colour when young, but gets yellower as its 
age advances. It is used by the cabinet-maker, 
the joiner, and the turner. It will take a high 
polish, and it does not warp; and is often manu- 
factured into cider presses, gun-stocks, and musical 
instruments. 
Apart, however, from these uses, the density of 
the Sycamore’s foliage and the fineness of its in- 
dividual leaves tend to make it, when in the pride 
of its glory, a beautiful Tree. 
