FOREST TEEES. 



97 



feet in hight ; consequently of no great value except for orna- 

 mental purposes. It forms a pretty little tree with roundish- 

 lobed leaves, twigs and smaller branches covered with corky 

 bark. It is well adapted to grounds of limited extent, and for 

 planting near buildings, as its roots do not spread to a great 

 distance. There are several varieties in cultivation, but none 

 possessing any special merit, although they may be introduced 

 to increase the number of varieties whenever this is an object. 

 There is one very pretty variety with variegated leaves, and 

 several others with foliage varying somewhat from the species. 

 About a dozen varieties are enumerated in European nursery- 

 men's catalogues. 



A. Tartaricum. — Tartarian Maple. — A small tree growing about 

 twenty feet high, native of Tartary. Leaves small, irregular 

 rounded, light colored, bark very smooth. A handsome, little, 

 round-headed tree. A variety of this, called the Ginnala Maple 

 (A. T. ginnala) has smaller leaves than the species, otherwise 

 very similar, 



A. monspessnlanniii, — Montpelier Maple. — A small species, or 

 perhaps only a variety from France. It is merely a large shrub 

 with small palmate leaves. There are several other shrubby 

 maples in cultivation from Central and Southern Europe, that 

 are by some authors classed as species, by others, only as varie- 

 ties. Among these I may mention Lobel's Maple (A, Lobelii), 

 or the Italian Maple, leaves of a pea-green color with rather ob- 

 tuse lobes. This is considered by the best European authorities 

 as a variety of the Norway Maple. The Three-lobed Maple 

 {A. trilobatum) is another species or variety from Southern 

 Europe. 



JAPAK MAPLES. 



These Maples are of comparatively recent introduction, but 

 they have been with us long enough to allow of an opportunity 

 to test their merits, and their adaptation to the soil and climate 

 of this country. In these maples we have an excellent illustra- 

 tion of the skill of the Japanese, not only in the production, 

 but in the preservation and propagating of varieties of trees 

 and other plants indigenous to their country. 



While it is not supposed that any of the Japan Maples possess 

 any great economic value, they are unsurpassed for ornament- 

 al purposes. In fact, their introduction has been an agreeable 

 surprise to the arboriculturists of both Europe and America, for 

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