University Missourian., 1912-04-19


fringes hang from twig and branch
or brOwnish green catkins stand up
right from a bed of winter wrap
pings.
Any winter, especially the long
tedious one that has Just passed. has
familiarized many with the form and
structure of the trees that border
streets, stand in the residence yards
or on the campus. In little while,
however. the tree with a trunk that
runs from ground to apex, as the
poplar, and the one whose trunk
loses its identity in its spreading
branches few feet from the base
of the tree. as the elm, will be COW
cred with foliage and such structural
formation will almost be forgotten.
Attention is already drawn from
the parallel branches of the poplar,
as well as the gnarled, grOtesque
antics of the limbs of the sugar
maple, by the greeniSh appearance
given them by the various forms and
colorings of the blossoms that are
being put forth.
A roundtopped Norway maple,
standing at the corner of University
avenue and Ninth street, is a waving
mass of bright yellOwish greeness
that seems at some distance to be
of leave. But not a leaf has yet de-
veloped; instead, only beautiful bios
SONS are seen on the tree. They
will soon turn into seeds and be car
ried away by the wind, and from
them later tiny. baby naples will
spring up.
1t is now somewhat difficult to re-
cogniZe the different varieties of the
maple by a glance. but if one breaks
a twig of the maple in two and a
milky fluid eXudes, it is a Norway
species: if the sap is sweet, it is
sugar variety. Later perhaps the
leaf would distinguish the species,
but this is test that is unfailing.
Now is the sugar making season.
There are several sugar bushes, as
the groves of trees are called in
Boone County. Pure maple sugar
from these plants may be purchased
at the grocery stores in Columbia.
The seed of the maple is easily
recognized by most people. Nature
has given it wing that is as light
and dainty as that of a butterfly,
and when the seed is ripened. away
it flies from the mother tree. Bear
ing the same double wing-like seed
as the maple is the box elder. 1t is
pioneer tree that can live under
the most primitive condition. AS
soon. however, as cultivation has pro-
duced an improved climatic area the
box elder, because of it's unSatisfac-
tory leaf-drOpping characteristic. is
replaced by the tree lover with the
maple and elm.
Columbia contains some remark
ably beautiful specimens of the Amer
lean elm. Because of its low branch
ing and wide spreading limbs, the
elm is the most artistic of shade
trees. Just now it is rich in the
greenish tones of its bloom that
hardly arrives before it becomes a
fiat round seed:
The tree that begins to show its
blossom next after the maple, box
elder and elm is the red bud, of
which there are two on the Univer-
sity campus. By many this tree is
called the Judas tree, for tradition
has it that specimen stood in the
Garden of Gethsemane the night
when Judas is said to have betrayed
his master. the Lord. The blossoms
that until that time had been of a
snowy whiteness are said to have
turned red and have ever since worn
the badge of shame.
Three small dOgwOod trees of the
variety have recently been
placed i'm the triangle at the north
entrance of Academic Hall in the
beds that last year held cannas but
have now been planted to permanent
shrubs and bulbs. By another year
at this time these trees will be cOv-
cred with most beautiful fOur-petaled
blossoms.
In front of the Chemistry Build
ing will be noticed by many a tree
that now is covered with brOwnish-
green enthusiastically three in a
cluster. much resembling pine cones
in shape. although only an inch to
two inches in length. This is the
American beech and it grows plenti-
fully in the swamps of Missouri. BY
next week the saw-tOOthed cOppery-
I,ornc will onnaor ond SIC on