Middlebury register. (Middlebury, Vt.) 1886-1937, 1886-08-20
Dome Department.
THE WHITE MAPLE.

States this species is often COMPOUNDED
with the Red maple which it nearly re-
! sembles; west of the mountains they are
constantly distinguished and this species
Is known by no other name than that
given at the head of this chapter.
The banks of Sandy river in the dis
trict of Maine. and those of the Connec-
ticut near Windsor in Vermont, are the
most northern points at which | have
seen the White maple. But, like many
other vegetables, it is pinched 10y the rig
OrouS winters of this latitude, and never
reaches the SizeIwhich it attains few de
grees farther south. It is found on the
banks of all the rivers which flow from
the mountains to the ocean, though it is
less common along the streams which
water the southern parts of the Carroll
mas and of Georgia. In no part of the
! United States is it more multiplied than
| in the Western country, and nowhere is
| its vegetation more luXuriant than on
the banks of the Ohio and of the great
rivers which empty into it. There, some
/ times alone, and sometimes mingled with
the willow, which is found along all
these waters, it contributes singularly
by its magnificent foliage to the embe-
lishment of the scene. The brilliant
white of the leaves beneath forms strik-
ing contrast with the bright green above
and the alternate reflection of the two
surfaces in the water heightens the beau
ty of this wonderful moving mirror and
aids in forming an enchanting picture,
which, during my long excursions in "a
canoe in these regions of solitude and 81
lence, | contemplated with unwearied adj
miration. Beginning at Pittsburgh and
even some miles above the junction of the
rivers Allegheny and Manongahela,
White naples twelve or fifteen feet in cir
conference are constantly met with at
short distances.
The trunk of this tree is low and di-
vides into a great number of limbs so di-
vergent that they form IA head more spa
cious than that of any other tree with
which am acquainted. 1t is worthy of
remark that the White maple is found ON
the banks of such rivers only as have
limpid waters and a gravelly bed, and
never IN Swamps and other wet grounds
enclosed in forests. where the soil is
black and miry. These situations. on the
contrary. are so well adapted to the
Red maple that they are frequently occu-
pied by it exclusively. Hence the last
mentioned species is common in the low
or parts of the CarolinaS and of Georgia.
where the White maple is no longer
seen: for as soon as the rivers. in de
Scending from the mountains toward the
ocean. reach the low country they begin
to be bordered by miry swamps covered
with the cypress. black-gum, large tu-
pelo, etc.
The White maple blooms early in the
the spring; its flowers are small and SEES
Sile with a dOwny ovarum. The fruit is
larger than that of any other species
which grows east of the Mississippi. 1t
consists of two capsules Joined at the
base, each of which encloscS one round
i>h seed and is terminated by large
membranaccouS, falcifOrm wing. In Pen
Sylyania it is ripe about the first of May
and Il month earlier on the Savannah
river in Georgia. Al this period the
leaves, which have attained half their
size, are dOwny underneath: month
later, when they are fully grown, they
are perfectly smooth. They are opposite
and supported by long petioles; they are
divided by deep sinuses into four lobcS.
are toothed on the edge, of bright green
on the upper surface and of a beautiful
white beneath. The foliage, however, is
scattered and leaves an open passage to
the sunbeamS.
The wood of this maple is very white
and of a fine grain but it is softer and
lighter than that of the other species in
the lnited States, and, from its want of
strength and durability, is little used.
Wooden bowls are sometimes made of it
when poplar cannot be procured. At
Pittsburgh and in the neighbOrng towns
it serves in cabinet making in the place
OF holly for inlaying furniture made of
mahogany, cherry-tree and walnut,
though, a ii soon changes color. it is less
fitted for this purpose. The matters of
Pittsburg prefer the charcoal of this
wood to every other fol heating their
boiler a it affords IA heat more uniform
ANA of larger continuance. Some of the
inhabitants on the Ohio make sugar from
the sap by the same process which is en-
ployed with the Sugar maple.
Like the Red maple, it yields but
half the product from IA given
measure of sap; but the uurcfined sugar
Is whittier and more agreeable to the taste
than that of the sugar maple, The Sapi,
in motion in this species earlier than in
the sugar maple, beginning to ascend
about the 18th of January, so that the