PREFACE. 



It has been thoiight by the writer, and has frequently been remarked by 

 others, that a series of carefully made photographic illustrations of the fresh 

 leaves, fruits, leafless branchlets and typical barks of our various trees would 

 be appreciated alike by the professional botanist, the less technical nature 

 student, the forester and the lumberman. 'My natural interest in the subject 

 and peculiar vocation made the task of the preparation of such a work peculiarly 

 inviting to me. I am required to be much in the field observing the trees, 

 making it my personal duty to gather the woods used in the publishino; of my 

 AMERICAN WOODS — in order that I may be able to vouch for authen- 

 ticity — and this gives me unusual opportimities. I accordingly entered upon 

 the task with enthusiasm, providing myself with an excellent camera, and adapt- 

 ing it to the ijeculiar requirements of the work. 



It was not until after much experimenting, as to proper lighting, the elimina- 

 tion of shadow, etc., that satisfactory results were obtained. The thought of a 

 measured background — one ruled into square inches for convenience — 

 occurred as a most satisfactory way of indicating size, which I deemed of 

 greatest importance, owing to the great range of sizes of the objects which I 

 must show on plates of uniform size. It is hoped that this feature of the work 

 will meet with the approval bespoken for it. 



When once entered upon the work it was found that many and various vicissi- 

 tudes must be encountered, which would unexpectedly prolong the work. Chief 

 among these were the " off " years, during which a species does not bear fruit. 

 For example : One season I could not find a single tree of the common Sugar 

 Maple bearing fruit, thouali I examined many from northern New York to 

 North Carolina and westward to Missouri. One winter not a solitary twig 

 could I find of the Yellow Birch bearing its dormant catkins, and, naturally, 

 not a tree bearing flowers or fruit the next summer. I searched in vain two 

 successive seasons for the pistillate flowers of the common Butternut, so regu- 

 larly did the late frosts of spring destroy them, though the staminate flowers 

 appeared annually. 



The shortness of the period, too, during which the flowers or fruits of certain 

 trees are in their prime, or even exist on the trees, has necessitated close watch. 

 The exact time must be ascertained by observation, and if, perchance, I miss it 

 I must wait until another year for another opportunity. Then I may find it an 

 off year (imagine my disappointment!), and still another year must be waited. 

 Procuring specimens from lofty tree-tops are trivial ordeals compared with 

 instances like these. Add to these vicissitudes the distribution of our trees, 



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