Distinguishing characters:  The tips of the twigs curve upwards (Fig.
    28), the bark is scaly, and the leaves are very deeply cleft and are
    silvery on the under side.

[Illustration:  FIG. 25.—­Leaf of Sugar Maple.]

Leaf:  Deeply cleft and silvery under side.  Fig. 29.

Form and size:  A large tree with the main branches separating from the
    trunk a few feet from the ground.  The terminal twigs are long,
    slender, and drooping.

Range:  Eastern United States.

Soil and location:  Moist places.

Enemies:  The leopard moth, a wood-boring insect, and the
    cottony-maple scale, a sucking insect.

[Illustration:  FIG. 26.—­The Sugar Maple.]

Value for planting:  Grows too rapidly and is too short-lived to be
    durable.

Commercial value:  Its wood is soft, weak, and little used.

Other characters:  The bark is light gray, smooth at first and scaly
    later on.  The scales are free at each end and attached in the
    center.  The flowers appear before the leaves in the latter part of
    March or early April.

[Illustration:  FIG. 27.—­Tapping the Sugar Maple.]

Other common names:  The silver maple is sometimes known as soft maple
    or white maple.

RED MAPLE (Acer rubrum)

[Illustration:  FIG. 28.—­Terminal Twig of Silver Maple.]

Distinguishing characters:  The bark is smooth and light gray, like
    that of the beech, on the upper branches in older trees, and in
    young trees over the whole trunk.  Fig. 30.  The buds are in clusters,
    and the terminal twigs, Fig. 31, are quite red.

[Illustration:  FIG. 29.—­Leaf of the Silver Maple.]

Leaf:  Whitish underneath with three-pointed lobes.  Fig. 32.

Form and size:  A medium-sized tree with a narrow, round head.

Range:  Eastern North America.

Soil and location:  Prefers moist places.

Enemies:  Leaf blotches (Rhytisma acerinum) which, however, are not
    very injurious.

Value for planting:  Suitable as a shade tree for suburban streets.  Its
    rich red leaves in the fall make it attractive for the lawn.

[Illustration:  FIG. 30.—­Bark of the Red Maple.]

Commercial value:  Its wood is heavy, close-grained, and takes a good
    polish.  Used for furniture and fuel.

Other characters:  The bud is small, round, and red.  The flowers
    appear before the leaves are out in the early part of April.

[Illustration:  FIG. 31.—­Twig of the Red Maple.]

[Illustration:  FIG. 32.—­Leaf of the Red Maple.]

Other common names:  The red maple is sometimes known as swamp maple.