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leaves divided more deeply and towards the base, veined also and of a sea- 
green colour underneath.* 
The Flowers are apetalous, in pendulous racemes, short and compound, 
composed of imperfect bissexual and perfect male flowers, the anthers being 
abortive in the first, and fertile in the last. It was introduced here in 1/35, 
by Peter Collinson, Esquire.f 
From this tree the inhabitants of North America make a very good sort 
of sugar, in large quantities, by tapping the trees early in the spring, and 
boiling the juice. But I am of opinion that they make sugar from more 
than one sort of Maple in America; for I have found that the Ash-leaved 
Maple abounds with a saccharine juice, in full as great plenty as any other 
sort. Mr. Ray and Dr, Lister prepared a tolerably good sort of sugar from 
our Great Maple; and I have observed upon cutting off branches from the 
Scarlet Maple in February, a great quantity of a very sweet juice has flowed 
out for several days together. Large tracts in North America are covered 
with the Sugar Maple; this tree yields a Sugar equal to the best from the 
Cane, and in great quantity, with no other labour than what women and 
girls can bestow, in drawing off and boiling the liquor; and when skilfully 
tapped will last many years. It is therefore believed by judicious persons, 
that the country can not only supply their own demand, but even make 
Sugar for exportation.^ 
The Acer Saccharinum of Linnaeus, or the Sugar Maple-tree, grows in 
quantities in the western counties of all the Middle States of the American 
Union. Those which grow in New York and Pennsylvania yield the Sugar 
in a greater quantity than those which grow on the waters of the Ohio. 
These trees are generally found mixed with the Beech, 1 Hemlock, 2 White 
and water Ash, 3 the Cucumber tree, 4 Linden, 5 Aspen, 6 Butter Nut, 7 and 
Wild Cherry trees. 8 They sometimes appear in groves covering five or six 
acres in a body, but they are more commonly interspersed with some, or all 
of the forest trees which have been mentioned. From thirty to fifty trees 
* Lin. Spec. -j* Hort. Kew. 
J Information from Thomas Jefferson, Esq. jun. l/go. 
1 Fagus Ferruginea. 1 Pinus abies. 3 Fraxinus Americana. 4 Magnolia 
acuminata. 5 Tilia Americana. 6 Populus tremula. 7 Juglans alba (oblonga.) 
8 Prunus Virginiana, of Linnaeus, 
