No V EMBER, 1915 



THE GARDEN MAGAZINE 



111 



seldom alike and in a 

 group may be seen almost 

 as many shades of color as 

 there are trees. Some are 

 entirely yellow, others 

 scarlet, some crimson, 

 purple or orange, others 

 variegated with several of 

 these colors. Indeed, on 

 different individuals in 

 the Red Maple may be 

 seen all the hues that are 

 ever displayed in the au- 

 tumn woods. The Sugar 

 Maple (Acer saccharum), 

 though more brilliant, has 

 a narrower range of color 

 and is more uniform in its 

 tints which range from 

 yellow and orange to 

 scarlet. 



The common Tupelo 

 (Nyssa sylvatica) more in- 

 variably shows a mass of 

 unmixed crimson than any 

 other New England tree. 

 The foliage first assumes 

 shades of purple which 

 change into crimson or 

 scarlet before it falls. 



The Oaks, the noblest 

 group of trees in eastern 

 North America, assume 

 their autumn tints very 

 late and are not at their 

 zenith until after the 

 Maples have past. In the 

 Scarlet, Red and White 

 Oaks the tints are ruddy, 

 varying from reddish 

 purple and crimson to 

 pale red; and when at 

 their best, after the middle of October, 

 these trees are the most beautiful of the 

 forests or pastures. The Black and Swamp 

 Oaks develop imperfect shades of orange 

 to leather-colored tints. 



In the White Oak, the Beech, the Chest- 

 nut, and the Red Oak when young the 

 leaves as they die become russet-brown 

 and remain on the trees until the spring 

 and give a sensation of warmth to the woods 

 and landscape in the coldest days of winter. 

 The period of retention varies greatly in 

 different individuals; often the leaves are 

 retained on the lower branches when the 

 upper parts of the tree are bare. 



In England, trees, with few exceptions 

 such as the wild Cherries and the Beech, 

 assume no autumn tints comparable with 

 those of their American relatives. Indeed, 

 in England the most varied and brightly 

 colored tints are found not on the trees 

 but on the Brambles (Rub us). Long ago 

 European trees were planted in this 

 section of America and some, like the Elm, 

 Linden and English Oak, have grown to a 

 large or moderately large size. In autumn 

 such trees stand out very clearly with their 

 mantle of green foliage when the native 

 trees present are all tints or have shed their 

 leaves. These colonists preserve their 

 green hues until late into October when 



The crowning glory of the New England autumn landscape is the Red Maple {Acer rubrum) 



finally the leaves become mottled, yellowish 

 or brownish and fall. 



Asiatic trees and shrubs cultivated here' 

 assume their wonted tints and so also do 

 those of central Europe. The trees of 

 Japan and China color with us rather later 

 than the native trees and lengthen the sea- 

 son fully two weeks. 



Whilst I have dealt primarily with trees 

 as the principal objects of admiration in 

 autumnal scenery, I must not omit mention 

 of the shrubs which clothe the wayside 

 and forest floor, or the climbers which drape 

 both bushes and trees or form tangled 

 thickets of themselves. It is true that 

 there are more of these than there are of 

 trees which do not change color materially 

 but remain green until the fall of the leaves. 

 But a great many do change very materially, 

 and it is interesting to note that reds pre- 

 dominate in the shrubs and yellow in the 

 trees. Reds and purples distinguish the 

 Cornels, Sumachs, Poison Ivy, Viburnums, 

 Virginia Creepers, Fox Grape and others, 

 and yellow the Spice Bush. Indeed, there 

 is so small a proportion of yellow in the 

 shrubbery that it is hardly distinguishable 

 in the general mass of scarlet, crimson and 

 purple which forms so marked a contrast 

 with the unchanged greens of many asso- 

 ciate shrubs. In miscellaneous mixed 



woods, on the con- 

 trary, yellow prevails 

 among trees. 



In Japan, where an in- 

 tense love of nature is 

 spontaneous among all 

 classes, there prevails a 

 custom which might well 

 be adopted here. The 

 beauty spots in that land 

 are many and are justly 

 celebrated in poetry and 

 song. August Fuji with 

 its perfect cone and snowy 

 mantle; the Pineclad islets 

 of Matsushima; the In- 

 land Sea with its hundreds 

 of islands clad with ver- 

 dure to the water's edge; 

 the Nikko region with its 

 mountains and lakes, its 

 waterfalls and woods ; and 

 hundreds of other places 

 more or less famous, in- 

 cluding many noted for 

 their Maples. In October, 

 when the woods assume 

 their autumn splendour, 

 children from primary and 

 secondary schools, high 

 schools and colleges, with 

 their teachers and profes- 

 sors, make excursions of 

 three or four days' dura- 

 tion to noted places and 

 revel in the feast of color. 

 The railways issue cheap 

 fares and from all the large 

 towns and cities children, 

 youths and maidens, jour- 

 ney to the mountain woods. 

 Last autumn in the Nikko 

 region I saw thousands of scholars, boys 

 and girls varying from eight to twenty years 

 of age (and a happy, orderly throng they 

 were), enjoying to the full the scenery, 

 breathing in the freshest of mountain air 

 and building up healthy minds and bodies. 

 Their joyousness was wholesomely infec- 

 tious and it was good to mingle with them. 

 As I look back on the many pleasant ex- 

 periences I enjoyed in that pretty land none 

 gives me greater pleasure than the memo- 

 ries of those throngs of happy scholars in 

 the woods and woodland paths of Nikko, 

 Chuzenji and Yumoto. 



Autumn tints is a subject that belongs 

 more especially to the sphere of the artist 

 than to that of the scientist. The poet 

 can sing their song more easily than a 

 writer of prose can describe their beauty. 

 But on equal plane with all the common 

 folk can enjoy the splendour of the autumn 

 colors. Let us then at autumn time lay 

 aside for a brief moment the cares of every- 

 day life, break away from engrossing tasks 

 of every kind and linger for awhile among 

 the trees and shrubs of the roadside and 

 woodland, drink in cool draughts of fresh 

 air and revel in the galaxy of color bene- 

 ficent Nature so lavishly displays on 

 every side. 

 Next month's article will deal with "Conifers." 



