64 ACE 
inhabitants of North America make a Very good fort of 
fugar, m iarge quantities, by tapping the trees early in 
the fpring, and boiling the juice. Large trafts in North 
America are covered with the fugar maple; this tree 
yields a fugar equal to the belt from the cane, and in 
great quantity, with no other labour than what women 
and girls can bellow, in drawing otf and boiling the li¬ 
quor; and when (kilfully tapped will lad: many years. 
It is therefore believed by judicious perfons tliat the coun¬ 
try can not only fupply their own demand, but even make 
fugar for exportation. We are allured by Dr. Rufli, that 
this tree is fo far from being injured by tapping, that it 
yields the more fyrup the oftener it is tapped ; and that a 
tree flourilhed after forty-two annual operations. From 
twenty-three gallons and one quart of fan, procured in 
twenty-four hours from two trees, four pounds and thju- - 
teen ounces of good grained fugar have been obtained. 
But a tree of an ordinary fize yields in a good feafon from 
twenty to thirty gallons of fap, from which are made from 
five to fix pounds of fugar. It is fuppofed that by tranf- 
planting.to an open expofure, the quantity of fap may be 
increafed, and its quality improved. For a farmer in 
Pennfylvania having planted a number of thefe trees above 
twenty years ago in his meadow, lie obtains every year a 
pound of fugar from every three gallons of the fap. The 
feafon for tapping is in February, March, and April, ac¬ 
cording to the weather. Warm days and frofly nights are 
mod favourable to a plentiful difcharge of fap. The 
quantity obtained in a day from one tree is from five gal¬ 
lons to a pint : but twenty-three gallons were procured 
from a lingle tree on the 14th of April, 1789. Fora 
number of years many hundred private families in New 
York,and Pennfylvania have fupplied themfelves plenti¬ 
fully with this fugar. Matty have made from 200 to 400 
pounds in a year. One man Ibid 600 pounds, all made 
with his own hands in one feafon ; another made 640 
pounds, without any aflidance, in lefs than four weeks, 
belides attending to the other bulinefs of his farm, for 
which he received 161. and a family confiding of a man 
and his two fons made 1800 pounds weight in one feafon. 
The quality of this fugar is fuperior to that which is made 
in the Welt Indies from the cane ; and it depolits lefs fe- 
diment when dilfolved in water. The Indians of Canada 
have praftifed the making of fugar from the maple, time 
out of mind, and they gained a pound of fugar from eight 
pints of liquor. The French began to refine it in that 
country towards the clofe of the lad century; and Dr. 
Robinfonfent fome of the fugar to Mr. Ray in 1684. A 
friend of Mr. Ray’s tried the experiment with our great 
maple, and obtained a fugar from the juice, but in fmall 
quantity. 
6. Acer dilfeftum, or cut-leaved maple : leaves many- 
parted-palmate, the divilions fubpinnatifid and ferrate. 
7. Acer japonicum, or Japanefe maple: leaves many- 
parted, gadied, and villous; flowers fubumbelled. 8. Acer 
palmatum, or hand-leaved maple : leaves palmate-ferrate 
fmooth, flowers in umbels. 9. Acer feptemlobum, or 
feven-lobed maple: leaves feven-lobed fmooth, lobes 
pointed, regularly and lharply ferrate. 10. Acer piftum, 
or painted maple : leaves feven-lobed fmooth, lobes point¬ 
ed entire.—Thefe five fpecies, and alfo the feventeenth, 
grow in Japan. 
11. Acer platanoides, or Norway maple: leaves five- 
lobed pointed lharply toothed fmooth, flowers in corymbs. 
This grows to a large lize; the leaves being fmooth and 
of a (hining green, as large or larger than thofe of the fy- 
t'amore, and being feldom eaten or defaced, becaufe the 
tree abounds in a fltarp milky juice difliked by infects ; 
they have a much better appearance than thofe of the fy- 
camore ; and in the fpring, when the flowers are out, 
which are of a fine yellow colour, this tree has great 
beauty, Hanbury obferves, that in the autumn the leaves 
die to a golden-yellow colour, which produces a good ef- 
fiedl at that feafon, when the different tints of the decay- 
fag vegetable vvorid are difplayed. He lays farther that 
ACE 
it is a quick growing tree, arrives at a great bulk, and Is 
one of the belt trees for (heltering habitations. Linnaeus 
recommends it for walks and plantations ; as yielding a 
juice from which fugar may be made, if it be wounded in. 
the winter ; and as cutting out into a white fmooth wood, 
fit for the (locks of guns, the joiner, and the turner. Dr. 
Hunter obferves, that as it is a quick grower, arrives at a 
great bulk, and anfwers all the purpofes of the fycamore, 
the raifing it for ufe, as well as ornament and variety, 
fhould not be neglefted. Norway maple is found on 
mountains in the northern countries of Europe, Germa¬ 
ny, Switzerland, Stiria, Carniola, and Savoy. 
12. Acer montanum, or mountain maple : leaves (lightly 
five-lobed acute ferrate, racemes compound, calyxes hairy. 
This is a native of North America. 
13. Acer Pennfylvanicum, or Pennfylvanian maple : 
leaves three-lobed acuminate, (liarply double-ferrate, ra¬ 
cemes fiinple, calyxes fmooth. It is a fmall tree, which in 
fome (ituations may be conlidered rather as a fhrub. It 
will grow to the height of about fifteen feet, with a (len¬ 
der (tern, covered with awhitilh bark, and (ending forth 
feveral red branches. The flowers are on long pendulous 
racemes, of a greenifh-yellow colour. The feeds gene¬ 
rally fall off before they are ripe. It is a native of Penn¬ 
fylvania, Virginia, and Canada. The thicknefs of the: 
(hade, the beauty of the bark, and the tree not being lia¬ 
ble to infefts, would make it deln'able for plantations, 
were it not for the litter occafioned by the abundance of 
the leaves and fruits which it produces, audits being fub- 
jeft to be torn by dorms. 
14. Acer campeftre, or common or fmall maple. The 
common maple, though it does not become a large tree, 
fliould not however have been degraded by Linnieus to a 
dirub ; nor does it make a bad figure in plantations. Eve¬ 
lyn fays, that by (hredding up the boughs to a head, lie 
has caufed it to (hoot to a wonderful height in a little time. 
The common maple is chiefly feen in hedge-rows and cop¬ 
pices. We meet witli high encomiums on this wood 
among the ancients; and Virgil introduces Evander fitting 
on a maple throne. It was chiefly valued among them for 
the finenefs of its grain. The timber is .far fuperior to 
that of the beech for all ufes of the turner, particularly 
didies, cups, trenchers, and bowls; and when it abounds 
in knots, as it very frequently does, it is highly edeemed 
by the joiners for inlaying, &c. On account alfo of the 
lightnefs of the wood, it is often ufed by mudeal indru- 
ment makers ; from its hardnefs, for gun-docks and other 
purpofes ; and from its whitenefs it was formerly in great 
requed .for tables. In the vale of Glouceder, where oak 
timber is fcarce, it is ufed for gate-dud' and other purpo¬ 
fes of hufbandry ; andfometi'mes ferews for cyder-predes 
are made of this wood : but the principal value ot the ma¬ 
ple is for underwood : it is of quick growth and ad'ords 
good fuel. 
15. Acer opalus, or Italian maple: leaves roundifh 
five-lobed, loofely ferrate, capfules ovate, fmooth, almod 
upright. Thisis common in many parts of Italy, particu¬ 
larly about Rome and Viterbo. It is one of the loftied 
trees of that country, and is edeemed for the leaves, which 
are large, and ad'ord a great fliade ; fo that it is planted 
frequently there by the (ides of roads, and near habita¬ 
tions. This tree is not noticed by Linnaeus, and many other 
modern authors. It is rarely to be met with in England, 
though hardy enough to bear the open air ; and, being a 
noble tree, acquiring a condderable dature, having a 
fpreading head adorned with large and beautiful foliage, it 
deferves the attention of ornamental planters'. 
16. Acer monfpelfiilanum, or Montpelier maple : leaves 
three-lobed very entire fmooth annual. This fpecies 
grows about twenty feet in height. The leaves refemble 
thofe of the common maple, but are of a much thicker 
fubdance, and not fo large; they are of a ihining-green 
colour, and continue their verdure very late in the au¬ 
tumn, which renders this tree more valuable. At pre- 
fent this fort is not common in England. The flowers have 
little 
