The Sugar maple (Acer saccharinum) is a very abundant tree in the northern states and the Canadas, where it sometimes forms immense forests. The bark is white; the leaves four or five inches broad, and five-lobed: varying, however, in size according to the age of the tree. The flowers are small, yellowish, and suspended by slender drooping peduncles. The seed is contained in two capsules united at the base, and terminated in a membranous wing, they are ripe in October. From certain parts of the trunks of old Sugar maples, the fine wood called bird's-eye maple is taken, which is so highly prized by the cabinet-makers; and the sap, which flows in abundance from holes bored in the stem of the tree early in March, produces the well-known maple sugar. This can be clarified, so as to equal that of the cane in flavor and appearance; and it has been demonstrated that the planting of maple orchards, for the production of sugar, would be a profitable investment.
