The Ocala banner. (Ocala, Marion County, Fla.) 1883-194?, 1906-02-16
TO NAME THEIR TREES.
The Forest Service Will identify
Trees in Streets and Parks.

The increased interest n forest and
forest trees which is a sign of the
times has. among other things, led
many city and town officials to seek
to make known the names of trees
growing in streets and parks. Not only
are such trees in very many cases now
without marks of Identification, but
in not few cases they have been
labeled with incorrect names. The
Forest Service has devised plans by
which its cooperation may be secur-
ed in correctly Identifying the public
trees of any community which may
care to call upon it.
1t is remarkable how little uniform
ity there is in the use of tree names.
Even scientific names, which ARE, of
course, always more exact than the
common names, are in many cases un-
settled, but common names are often
used almost at random. In different
parts of the country the same species
may be popularity known under very
different names, and, on the other
hand, the same name is often used in
different localities for altogether diff
erent trees. .
In the effort to assist toward uni
formity of usage in scientific names
Of forest trees, and also to lessen the
:haos in the use of common names,
che Forest Service has already pub
lished "a Check List Of the Forest
Trees of the United States" This
serves as a guide when once a tree
has been identified by the botanist.
But the first requisite is that the
Identification should be correct. 1t is
here that difficulty is often met with.
For this reason the Forest Service
now offers its technical knowledge to
city authorities.
There are two ways in which as
sistance may be iven. Where the
work is on large SCALE a representa-
tive of the Service will visit the town
or city and identify the tree by ex-
animation on the spot. In most
cases, however, Identification by cor
resspondence will prove entirely ade-
quate. This will require merely that
specimens of the trees be sent to the
Forest Service, together with a rough
sample plat showing their location, the
plat and specimen being numbered to
correspond.
For such identification a full set
of specimens, illustrating mature fol-
iage, and, if possible, specimens of
the flowers and of the fruit Cas the
botanist call the seeds) Should be
sent. FruG specimens are very es-
sential, but flowers may be omitted if
they can not be readily secured. Two
or three specimens of branches in
leaf, 10 To Il inches long, taken from
different parts of the crown, so as to
exhibit all of the leaf forms common
to the species will answer for the
foliage. One or two specimens Of the
foliage, flowers, and fruit may be plac-
ed between sheets of ordinary news
paper or. blotting paper about II to Is
inches in size. Thirty to fifty speci-
mems and sheets may thus be piled
one on ton of another. and the whole
bundle placed between two stiff pieces
of mill board, pasteboard, or thin pic
ture backing, a little larger than the
sheets of paper carrying the speci-
mems. The package must then be
well tied and wrapped. when it may
be sent by mail if under pounds in
weight. If, before sending. the speci-
mems are changed to dry sheets of
paper once in twenty-four hours.
keeping them constantly under a
weight of from 40 to so pounds, they
can be thoroughly dried within two
or three weeks, when they will not be
so heavy and will still be in excellent
condition for identification.
Suggestions as to labels and their
use are also made by the Service when
requested.