STUDIES OF TREES IN WINTER 



If the poison dogwood were always called 

 poison sumac and the Cormis Jiorida, flowering- 

 cornel, this unfortunate confusion would soon 

 end. 



The wood is strong, hard, and close-grained, 

 and takes polish exceedingly well. It is used 

 in turnery, for the handles of tools, and occa- 

 sionally for engravers' blocks. The bark is 

 bitter and is used as an astringent and tonic, 

 especially in the treatment of fevers. The 

 Indians made a scarlet dye from the bark of 

 the roots. 



The generic name comes from the Latin 

 cornus, a horn, and refers to the hardness of 

 the wood, and the specific mnitjjlorida (abound- 

 ing in blossoms), alludes to the remarkable 

 white flowers of this cornel, which open in 

 June. 



The flowering dogwood is found from Eastern 

 Massachusetts to Central Florida and westward, 

 and grows under large trees in rich woods. 



The MoraccE are a small family with but one 

 native representative in the North, the red mul- 

 berry. The white mulberry from China has 

 been so widely cultivated and naturalized in 

 the United States, that it is seen more com- 

 monly than the native species. 



