TREES AND SHRUBS 179 
the trees which shed their leaves may be recognized by 
means of their buds. To one familiar with the trees 
trom childhood none of these means of identification 
seems important; the tree is a poplar because the 
general appearance looks like a poplar, just as one 
recognizes a boyhood friend by his appearance from a 
long distance and does not have to examine him closely 
to see if his hair is black or brown or look at the color 
of his eyes to decide whether it is Dick or Ralph. To 
the novice, however, these finer points are necessary 
until one becomes thoroughly familiar with the form, 
method of branching, color of bark, ete. 
The trees common to the United States are divided 
into two classes: 
I. Gymnosperms, naked-seeded trees which bear their 
seed on the face of a scale. The fruit is a woody 
cone except in the case of junipers and yew where it 
is berry-like. This class is much older and less special- 
ized than the second class. 
II. Angiosperms, where the seeds are borne in a closed. 
receptacle—not a cone. This class contains the broad- 
leaf or hardwood trees.* 
each region and their cuaracteristics described so as to make 
their identification easy. If further knowledge is desired the 
State Botanist will doubtless be able to name several books of 
reference, covering the region in question. In many cases the 
State Forester publishes a small booklet describing the local 
trees in a popular way. The best reference book for tree identi- 
fication is the ‘‘Manual of the Trees of North America’’ by 
Charles S. Sargent. 
1 By hardwoods the broadleaf or deciduous trees are meant; 
and softwood is used to characterize trees of the evergreen class 
regardless of the hardness of their wood. This differentiation 
is accepted by the lumberman regardless of the fact that certain 
so-called hardwoods like poplar have wood that is much softer 
than certain softwoods like the longleaf pine. 
