THE ROMANCE OF OUR TREES 



and must learn by study what countryfolk acquire 

 through association. 



Of the many attractive features of trees not the 

 least is their bark, and in winter this feature is not 

 only very pronounced but is often characteristic. 

 The various organs of a tree, like those of the human 

 body, have each their function, and that of the bark 

 is protection. It protects the vital tissues, which lie 

 near the periphery, from the heat of the sun's direct 

 rays and from the intense cold of winter. We are 

 not concerned with a scientific treatise on the origin 

 of bark but a few simple facts are instructive since 

 they enable us to understand how the various forms 

 of the bark arise. When transplanting trees it is 

 well known that care must be taken not to injure the 

 bark, especially when it is smooth, and that in cer- 

 tain trees, the Holly for example, even moderate 

 injury is fatal. In the Holly (Ilex), in Acer striatum, 

 and other striped-barked Maples, and in a few other 

 trees, the original cells of the outer surface keep pace 

 by growth with the formation of new tissue in the 

 interior. In this case no proper bark is formed, and 

 any considerable injury to the skin, as it may be 

 termed, of the trunk is fatal, since it cannot heal over. 

 Such trees grow naturally in the shade of others and 

 are thereby much protected. Most commonly, how- 

 ever, it is the layer of cells immediately within the 



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