TREES O'P INDIANA. 
75 
shades of red and yellow, from a deep crimson to a light 
orange. The maple is well distributed throughout the 
State. No forest is complete without it This tree is a 
slow grower-, but in other respects deserves to be one of the 
most popular of our street and ornamental trees. 
The A. S&Gckarmum is much valued for timber, owing 
to the extreme hardness and firm texture of the wood. It 
is also in demand for piano work, furniture of various 
kinds, including a great variety of chair stuff and for frames 
for heavy machinery. The fresh cut wood is of a white 
cream tint', when dry and polished it has a bright silken 
lustre. It is the favorite fuel in the timber regions, being 
preferred to all other wood except hickory. The grain is 
so compact that it takes a long time to season perfectly 
und is then much used for axletrees, spokes and mill cogs. 
An occasional peculiarity of this wood is the accidental 
^arrangement of its fibres so as to make a beautiful variety 
when polished and finished so as to show the natural grain 
of the wood. In these cases it is used for panels of doors, 
cabinets, and for relief in contrast with the dark woods, as 
mahogany and black walnut. 
The extraction of syrup and sugar from the sap of this 
tree is an important branch of industry in the “sugar 
groves” of the State in the early spring, beginning with 
the first flow of the sap, and ending only when it ceases to 
thaw by day and freeze at night. During the spring 
months these products are popular staples in the markets, 
and command higher prices than the best sugars and 
syrups from the cane. 
A. dasy carp um— White or Silver Maple. 
A. ruhrum —Red or Swamp Maple—Soft Maple. 
The above trees are well distributed on the rich soils of 
^the State, and especially on the alluvial bottom lands. 
The wood is quite soft, easily worked, and is popular as 
