of New York 19 



of the choicest wild flowers and ferns would be without a 

 sheltering canopy. Without trees the whole balance of nature 

 would be destroyed and human life imperiled. 



Man cannot get along without trees. Apart from their 

 practical value, they make for better manhood and woman- 

 hood by inspiring cleaner thoughts and higher ideals. The 

 spiritual value of loving them and being with them is beyond 

 estimate. If we want to continue as a happy people and a 

 prosperous nation we must see to it that we have plenty of 

 thrifty and healthy trees. This is our civic and social duty. 

 Treeless lands are as cheerless as creedless countries are hope- 

 less. 



THE PARTS OF A TREE 



WHEN we look at a tree we can recognize in its makeup 

 three principal parts. They are the roots, the stem, 

 and the crown. TJhe roots comprise that part of a tree that 

 is usually found below the ground. Our common trees 

 have two general type of root systems, namely, shallow- 

 rooted and tap-rooted. Such trees as the spruces, the hem- 

 locks, and the pines have roots that tend to spread and lie 

 close to the ground. These shallow-rooted trees are, as a 

 rule, not windfirm. Other trees, such as the hickories, the 

 oaks, and the walnuts develop a long taproot. These trees 

 are firmly anchored and rarely uprooted. 



Roots have three main lines of work. They anchor the 

 trees to the ground, absorb water from the soil, and trans- 

 port water to the stem. Without roots, trees could not stand 

 up, and without roots trees would starve for they supply 

 water and food to the stem, branches, twigs, leaves, and other 

 parts of the crown. The principal work of the big roots 

 near the stem is to help the trees stand up, while the fine root 

 hairs at the end of the rootlets are the ones that absorb the 

 water from the soil. 



The stem of a tree, also called trunk and bole, is the 

 main axis extending from the roots to the crown, or to the 

 tip in case of an unbranched stem. Tree stems show a wide 

 range in form. They range from long to short, straight to 

 crooked, and from erect to prostrate. An examination of a 

 cross-section of a stem will show three principal parts — 

 bark, wood, and pith. In the central part of the stem is 

 the pith. About it is the wood, which in many trees can be 

 divided into the darker heartwood and the lighter sapwood. 

 Between the wood and the bark is a thin layer known as 

 the cambium. This is the most vital part of a tree, for it is 

 here that all new wood and bark are made up. When a tree 



