THE ROMANCE OF OUR TREES 



Those who have studied the folk-lore of primitive 

 man tell us that the legend of good and evil trees is 

 almost universal, and that they are intimately 

 connected with man's own story of his develop- 

 ment. As man congregated, built homes of mud, 

 brick, and stone, his energies became more and more 

 absorbed in gaining wealth, and this has repeatedly 

 led to his own destruction and that of his kindred. 

 The same thing obtains to-day. The happy and con- 

 tented among us are those whose thoughts are not 

 wholly engrossed in laying up treasure in gold, silver, 

 and precious stones but who take an intelligent inter- 

 est in Nature's treasures, preserve them, and prize 

 them at their true worth. 



When looking at a tree — any tree — say in summer, 

 what do we see? A stout stem or trunk firmly fixed 

 in the earth and bearing aloft many branches, great 

 and small, each more or less crowded with green 

 leaves; occasionally flowers are conspicuous. Con- 

 templating a wood or a forest we note the fact that 

 trees are not all alike. They differ in size and form 

 and in shades of colour, and, looking closer, we see 

 that the stem may be white, gray, or nearly black, 

 and that its surface may be smooth or rough; also 

 that the outer covering of the stem may be loose and 

 scale off in patches, thin or thick, in papery rolls, or, 

 it may be firm and deeply fissured. In the autumn 



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