The Redwood gazette. [volume] (Redwood Falls, Minn.) 1873-1940, 1896-08-13
IN THE FORESTS.
Instructions for Making Interest.
ina ACQuaintanCeS.

It's really worth while to get on in
innate terms with elms, and oaks,
pines, and the many other members
of the tree family. They are such
delightful acquaintance. You may
visit them as often as you like and
make your calls as long as you choose,
and you will always find them inter-
esting.
Early in the spring is the best time
to be introduced to trees, but, Of
course, it's better late than never to
make desirable acquaintance. One
becomes intimate with them just as
one does with people, by calling on
them frequently and observing their
ways and sympathizing with them.
1t is important to know ones &C.
quaintances by sight and to be able to
associate their names with them at
once. Nothing is so awkward as to
meet person and not instantly recall
his name. A good way to begin to
know trees is by their leaves. True,
the leaves of different sorts of trees
sometimes look very much alike, but
if you will make point of observing
the shape of tree and its bark you
will rarely give your acquaintance
the wrong names.
No doubt most young folks, even
city youngsters, have bowling &C.
quaintance with some members of the
maple family. They are handsome
and clean, not being troubled by cat
erpillars as are the elms and oaks;
they are popular as shade trees along
the roads in both city and country.
You will observe striking resemb-
lance about the leaves of the different
varieties of the family. The red ma
Piles are the most common. The leaves
are usually three lobed, and each one
has three large veins starting from the
stem and intersected by smaller veins.
The bark is smooth and light gray
when the tree is young, but becomes
darker and more ridged as it grows
older, If you will look up among the
branches, however, you will see that
the younger wood is smooth and light
coIored. The red naples are about
the most interesting members of the
family. They are the first to bud in
the spring. Almost as soon as the
first bluebird has hoped over its
branches and before he has his voice
in tune at all, the maple begins to
send out little red tips which present
~ burst into the prettiest red fringes
and tassels. You must often have
noticed the sidewalk strewn with them
in the early spring. Presently the
delicate green leaves follow the firing
es, and later in the season under each
branchlet of leaves you will notice a
thick cluster of curious little pods
The fringes we're the blossoms, these
are the seeds. Country children
sometimes hang these seed pods in
their ears and make believe they are
earrings. They do look a little like
the long pendant ornaments that were
the fashion thirty years ago. All sum
mer you may observe the leaves
bright green above and lighter shade
underneath. They are the first tc
turn in the fall and are very gorgeous
in their orange dress. The red naples
are sometimes called swamp or soft
naples, to distinguish them from the
hard naples which yield the syrup
and sugar.
The sweet gums are peculiarly
graceful in shape. They grow much
larger than the naples and their leav-
es grow evenly and are usually larger
Some of them are five or six inches
long. They have five very distinct
lobes and the edges are sharply SER
rated or saw-toothed. Boys and girls
find the fruit very interesting. 1t is a
rough rather prickly brown ball about
an inch in diameter. 1t is stiff and
not easily crushed, which always
seems odd, because it is full of holes
wrought together like a bit of lace
work. Inside you will find the seeds
Sweet gums and sour gums come
from the South, where in the bottom
lands they grow to immense heights
not as tall as those tremendous Cali
fornia redwoods, but as large as oul
largest elms. The bark is dark and
deeply ridged. In the South a spicy
gum oozes from it, Up North the