384 OUR WOODLAND TREES. 
spikes of which are distinguished by being very 
erect: and a noticeable feature in the Maple is 
that the wings of its double samaras, or winged 
seed-vessels, are much less bent than is the case 
in the Sycamore, thus giving a resemblance to 
spread pinions. 
From the juices of the Maple, sugar may be 
extracted. The juices, indeed, in all the species 
of the genus Acer are more or less saccharine, 
although inappreciably so in the Sycamore. The 
leaves, too, with the tender shoots, make a whole- 
some food for cattle. It is, however, in its 
timber that the Maple possesses the greatest 
utility—Maple wood, on account of its fine grain, 
beautiful markings, and adaptability for taking a 
high polish, being greatly valued, and largely used 
in the manufacture of tasteful articles. The 
Romans used it largely for the making of tables. 
Even the roots of the Tree are sometimes so beau 
tifully knotted that they are used for the choicest 
work of the cabinet-maker. 
In cultivating this Tree a dry soil and an 
open and airy position are desirable. A pecu- 
liarity about the seed is, that it frequently will not 
