THE TREES OF THE UNITED STATES.
The Witch Hazel Family.
The Witch Hazel is a little tree or shrub of striking growth that, when all its neighbors are getting ready for their long winter nap, bursts out in full bloom with clusters of stringy yellow flowers, at the same time bearing the ripened seed pods of last year's blossoms. The seeds have a peculiar way of popping from the pods. Take some home with you in the late fall and see what happens. As soon as the pods feel the warmth of the room they burst and shoot out the seeds. It is said that the Indians used the bark of the witch hazel in treating inflammation, and it is still popularly believed to contain healing virtue.
The Sweetgum or Liquidambar is a tree that grows widely over the United States. Its leaves are star-shaped and not unlike the leaves of the maple. The coloring of the Liquidambar in the fall is very beautiful. Its fruit is a peculiar little spiny ball. The gum was used by the Indians to sweeten their smoking mixtures. In some sections it is called the Alligator Tree because of the peculiarity of the bark.
The Dogwood Family.
The Flowering Dogwood is the most beautiful sight of our May woodlands. The wood of this tree is very hard. Nobody seems to know how it received its common name. It is covered with clusters of red berries in the fall and at that time its leaves turn a bright red.
The Olive Family.
To this family belong the Ash trees, so called on account of the appearance of the under-surface of their leaves. There is a superstition that the ash tree is peculiarly likely to be struck by lightning. Its wood is largely used because of its lightness and elasticity; such articles as the handles of tools, oars, and carriage shafts are made of ash wood. White ash sometimes grows very tall; the black ash favors rivers and swamp-land and is not of such a sturdy growth as the white. The fruit of both form in clusters.
The Bignonia Family.
The Catalpa in June or July is covered with white blossoms mottled with yellow and purple. It is often called "The Bean Tree" because its fruit is like a long bean in form. These beans hang on a tree nearly all winter.
The Oak Family.
This is one of the handsomest of our tree families. The common white oak grows to a height of eighty to one hundred feet, the trunk often reaching a diameter of four feet. The leaves of the chestnut oak and those of the yellow oak resemble the leaves of the chestnut tree. The acorns of the red oak are very large, but the kernels are so bitter that the squirrels leave them untouched upon the ground. The leaves of the scarlet oak are very finely cut and assume brilliant colors in the late fall. There are many other varieties of oaks: straggling little scrub oaks, laurel oaks with laurel-like leaves, and the willow oaks of the Southwestern states.
WHITE OAK.
The Beech Family.
The Indians believed that the beech tree was lightning-proof, and many farmers seem to favor this belief. The Chestnut, which belongs in this group, does not flower until the middle of the summer. Unfortunately for the latter tree, a disease is spreading through certain districts that, if not checked, bids fair to exterminate these trees. Already in certain parts of the country where chestnuts formerly abounded hardly a living specimen is to be found, or if alive, is in a dying condition.
ELM.
The Elm Family.
This is a family of beautiful trees, widely distributed. The white elm is one of the first trees to respond to spring's first warm days. Its tiny flower buds burst their scales and shed them to the ground. It is without question one of the most beautifully shaped trees, and many reach vast proportions. The Slippery Elm is similar in appearance to the white elm. The bark of the latter tree is soaked in water and drunk for throat affections. The leaves of the elms turn yellow in the fall. Their wood is largely used for carriage shafts or wherever wood that does not readily split is needed. It is durable under water, and is, therefore, used for docks and piles.
The Linden Family.
These are known in this country as basswood or white-wood; in Europe they are called Lime Trees. Their leaves are heart-shaped and the lower surface is downy. The bees are attracted to these trees when they are in bloom. They can easily be recognized in winter by their red buds. The first leaves of spring are a bright green which contrast beautifully with these buds. The wood is used for cabinet work, woodenware and paper pulp. It does not easily warp.
The Magnolia Family.
This is a group of trees whose flowers are usually large and white, green, or pink in color. Some of this family are cultivated as ornamental trees on lawns. The Swamp Magnolia, or Sweet Bay, grows in swampy and damp places. Although specially a southern tree, it is found as far north as Massachusetts. It blooms in June, having a cream-color fragrant flower, and these blossoms are sold by florists and street pedlars.
LEAVES AND KEYS OF A MAPLE TREE.
Tulip Tree or Yellow Poplar is a large tree of this family that blooms especially abundantly upon the southern shores of Lake Erie. It has greenish-yellow, tulip-shaped flowers. The Indians made their dugout canoes from these trees.
The Maple Family.
There are more than one hundred species of this family. Maples are especially abundant in North America. The Sugar Maple grows in eastern North America. From its sap is manufactured maple sugar. The method of making this sugar was learned by the American colonists from the Indians. In the early spring, when this sap begins to flow, and while it is flowing, the trees are tapped, the sap gathered and boiled down. Certain varieties of maple-wood have beautifully spotted grain known as Bird's-eye Maple. This grain, it is claimed, is produced by wounds made by woodpeckers. This wood is prized for the manufacture of furniture. The Red Maple is found growing along the edges of streams. It is covered in the spring with tufts of crimson flowers and its foliage is a brilliant red in the autumn. The leaves of the Silver Maple show no reds in the fall, but are a uniform yellow. The Canadians have adopted the maple leaf as their national emblem.
The Horse Chestnut Family.
The Horse Chestnut is a native of Asia. In May or June it is covered with upright spikes of white blossoms. The Buck-eye is the native Horse Chestnut. The leaves of the Buck-eye are five-fingered, while those of the tree commonly called the Horse Chestnut are seven-fingered. Ohio is called the "Buck-eye" state and is named after this tree.
The Mulberry Family.
The leaves of the mulberry are broad, the flowers small. The leaves of the white mulberry are the food of silkworms. The Indian women used the fiber of the mulberry to make garments, baskets, and matting; the Japanese and Chinese manufactured paper from its bark. The red mulberry is quite common and grows in over two-thirds of the United States. The fruit is similar in appearance to the blackberry; the white mulberry is less widely distributed. The osage orange, or bow-wood, which is a member of this family, grows in Arkansas, Texas, and Indian Territory. Its fruit resembles the orange in shape and size; its leaves are shiny and it is close and spiny in growth.
The Plane Tree Family.
The common Plane is another tree from the Orient; the flowers are green, the fruit are yellow balls which hang on the tree over winter. It grows in rich, moist lands; the wood, which is ruddy in color, is used extensively in the manufacture of cigar boxes. It is also called the sycamore or buttonwood, and is easily distinguished by its bark, which it sheds as it does the leaves; the bark drops off in large irregular pieces, giving the tree a mottled appearance.
The Walnut Family.
The Black Walnut is abundant in the Mississippi Valley states, especially the Middle states. The White Walnut is the Butternut; the covering of the nut is sticky and gummy.
SHELL-BARK HICKORY.
The Hickory, which belongs to this family, is an American tree; none of the hickories are found abroad. The Bitternut, or Swamp Hickory, has a kernel which is very bitter. The bark of the Shell-bark Hickory separates and gives the trunk of the tree a very shaggy, unkempt appearance. The Pignut is a Hickory, but is worthless as food. The wood of the walnut was formerly much used for the manufacture of furniture.
The Birch Family.
This is an interesting family of graceful trees. The white birch, which is the least common, is short-lived. It grows from the St. Lawrence southward to Delaware. The leaves have a peculiar trembling characteristic. The Paper Birch is also called the white birch or canoe birch. It is fond of moist places. Its bark is white outside and composed of thin layers easily separated; these layers vary in color from a cream to a bright orange-yellow. The Indians used the bark of this tree for their canoes and to write their messages on. The red birches are great lovers of water, particularly delighting to hang their boughs over running streams. The alders and ironwoods belong here.
The Willow Family.
This is a large tree family; the black willow may be found growing upon the banks of streams and lakes. In the early spring days we gather pussy willows. They are really the flower buds. Put them in water and watch the catkins, as the flowers are called, develop. The Weeping Willow is a native of Asia; it grew near ancient Babylon. You will remember that the Bible tells us that the people of Israel hung their harps upon the willow tree by the waters of Babylon. They are trees of rapid growth, as are also the aspens and cottonwoods. The last-named trees derive their name from the peculiarity of the seed, which is surrounded by cotton-like fiber. The leaves of the aspen tremble even on calm days and have given rise to the saying, "trembling like an aspen leaf." An old tradition says that the leaves of this tree are never at rest because aspen wood was used in making the cross.
The Sumach Family.
One of this family is poisonous and is known as poison sumach. It grows throughout the Northern states and can be distinguished from the harmless sumach by its white fruit, the color of the fruit of other sumachs being red, and the fact that it likes wet ground, while its harmless cousins like dry places. To some persons the action of the sumach poison is virulent, causing painful itching eruptions similar to those caused by poison ivy.
The Pea Family.
The Locust is a tall tree, native to this country, flowering profusely in May and June, being at that time nearly covered with long, hanging clusters of fragrant white blossoms. A small tree, called the Red Bud, or Judas Tree, belongs to this family. It is often used as ornamental trees in parks and on lawns. In Arkansas it grows in native abundance. The flowers, which are a deep rose color, appear in April or May, about the time that the young leaves are putting in an appearance. They are borne all over the tree, even on the trunk itself. The Honey Locust has large, finer foliage than the common locust and it is armored and protected by a multitude of sharp thorns. The locust wood is much used in ship-building and fence posts because it resists decay in contact with moisture. It is very strong, hard, and takes a high polish. These trees are now preyed upon by boring insects and are not as popular as they were formerly.
The Rose Family.
What boy of the New England or the Middle states does not know the Choke Cherry or Wild Cherry and its fruit that he gathers and eats, although it puckers his mouth? Did you know that these, as well as our cultivated cherries, apples, pears, quinces, and plums, all belong to the same flower family that gives us our roses? The Mountain Ash also belongs to this family. Red Ash Berries help to brighten up the autumn and winter; in fact, these trees are so attractive when in fruit that they are being largely used for decorative purposes. In Europe they are called the Rowan Trees, and many peculiar tales and superstitions have gathered around them.
The Pine Family.
The pines of the United States include many species, most of which are valuable for their timber. The White Pine, which attains a great height and favors sandy soil, heads the list. Its bark is smoother than any other pine and its cones are long and slender. Its wood is soft, compact, and valuable. The wood of the Yellow Pine is hard and heavy, darker in tone, and much favored for flooring. It does not grow to such a height as the white pine; it is found throughout the Southern states. The Red Pine, or Norway Pine, favors Canada more than our country. The Pitch Pine grows in sandy and rocky soil or in the cold, swampy lands. The Jersey, or Scrub Pine, grows on sandy soil.
The Spruces have brighter leaves than the pines and the leaves are not grouped like the pine leaves. The leaves are borne on drooping branches; the cones are pendent; the white spruce grows higher than any other spruce. The cones of the red spruce are large; the resin of both the red and black spruces are used as chewing gum.
The Hemlock is one of the most graceful of cone-bearing trees. The hemlocks grow rapidly and become very rugged and picturesque. Hemlock wood warps when exposed; its bark is used in tanning. The leaves of the balsam are a bright green color above and a silver green color below. They are dried and made into pillows because of their fragrance. Arborvitæ, or White Hemlock, is cultivated as an ornamental tree. It is much used for hedges.