86 THE TREES OF NORTH CAROLINA. 



direction, it furnishes the material called Curly Maple, 

 which is much used for cabinet work and sometimes 

 for the mouldings of houses. Bedsteads and gun- 

 stocks of much beauty are -made of it, and it is some- 

 times employed for inlaying mahogany. The varied 

 effects of light and shade upon the tortuous veins 

 can be much enhanced by rubbing with sulphuric 

 acid, and afterwards with linseed oil. The bark of 

 this tree is said to afford a dark blue dye, and a good 

 black ink. The sap is somewhat saccharine, but is 

 rarely used for making sugar. This tree in some 

 situations has yellowish flowers and fruit, and is then 

 called Yellow Maple. 



2. White or Silver Maple. (A. dasycarpum, 

 Ehrh.) — This is generally confounded with the fore- 

 going, but is a much rarer tree, in this State. I do 

 not remember to have seen it except in the Moun- 

 tains. It is 30 to 50 feet high and 1 to 2 in diame- 

 ter ; though in the Western States sometimes 8 or 9 

 feet through. The top is more spreading than in the 

 Red Maple. The leaves are bright green above, and 

 of a silvery whiteness beneath, which gives a pleas- 

 ing effect to their play in the sunlight, and helps to 

 render the tree a desirable addition to ornamented 

 grounds. The flowers are greenish-yellow, and the 

 fruit (woolly when young) has large spreading 

 wings. The wood is very white and fine grained, 

 but much softer than in the other Maples ; and 

 hence is little used in cabinet work where the others 

 can be had. The sap is sometimes converted into 



