Studies of trees in winter — A Reader’s Guide

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Authors: Huntington, Annie Oakes, 1875-1940, Sargent, Charles Sprague, 1841-1927 [Author of introduction, etc.], Morse, Mary S. [Illustrator] Digital Source: Project Gutenberg Gutenberg Release Year: 2024 First Publication Year: Not confirmed

Key Word: Trees -- North America; Trees in winter Target Reader: Readers of public-domain and historical texts

Book Edition: Project Gutenberg digital edition Book Language: en

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Words 35,223

Reading time 154 min

Text sections 23

For Studies of trees in winter — A Reader’s Guide, the stored edition analysis reports 35,223 words, 2 hr 34 min estimated reading time, and 23 detected text sections.

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Project Gutenberg metadata also associates the work with “Trees -- North America,” connecting these edition facts with the source record’s subject description.

Source: Project Gutenberg record #72953

This editorial note examines how Huntington's opening, middle, and later excerpts guide a first reading of her winter tree study, focusing on the interplay between technical description and aesthetic appreciation.

Editorial Edition Score 4.8/5

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Title & short description10 pts
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Chapters / structure15 pts
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Total of 100 points, scaled to a 2.5-5.0 range. Editions with an empty description or a missing EPUB file are not scored.

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I. THE STUDY OF TREES IN WINTER 3

Trunk and branches. Stems and twigs. Leaf-scars. Bundle-scars. Buds.

II. THE HORSECHESTNUT 15

The Horsechestnut. The Ohio Buckeye.

Sugar or Rock Maple. Red or Swamp Maple. White or Silver Maple. Striped Maple or Moosewood. Ash-leaved Maple or Box Elder. Norway Maple. Sycamore Maple.

The White or American Ash. Red or Downy Ash. Black Ash. European Ash.

V. THE WALNUTS AND HICKORIES 45

Butternut. Black Walnut. Shagbark or Shellbark Hickory. Mockernut or Whiteheart Hickory. Bitternut Hickory. Pignut Hickory.

VI. THE BIRCHES, HOP HORNBEAM, AND HORNBEAM 59

Canoe, Paper, or White Birch. American, Gray, or White Birch. Black or Sweet Birch. Yellow Birch. Red or River Birch. Dwarf Birch. European White Birch. Hop Hornbeam, Ironwood. Hornbeam, Blue Beech.

VII. THE BEECH, CHESTNUT, AND OAKS 77

American Beech. European Beech. Chestnut Oak. White Oak. Swamp White Oak. Mossy-cup, Overcup, or Bur Oak. Chestnut or Rock Chestnut Oak. Dwarf Chestnut Oak. Post or Rough Oak. Black Oak. Red Oak. Pin Oak. Scrub Oak.

VIII. THE ELMS AND THE HACKBERRY 101

American or White Elm. Slippery or Red Elm. Cork or Rock Elm. English Elm. Scotch, Dutch, or Wych Elm. Hackberry, Sugarberry, Nettle tree.

IX. THE BUTTONWOOD, THE TUPELO, AND THE MULBERRIES 117

Buttonwood, Sycamore, or Plane tree. Tupelo, Pepperidge, Sour Gum tree. Flowering Cornel, Flowering Dogwood. Red Mulberry. White Mulberry.

X. THE LOCUSTS, THE YELLOWWOOD, AND THE KENTUCKY COFFEE TREE 129

Common Locust. Honey Locust. Yellowwood. Kentucky Coffee tree. Laburnum. Judas tree.

XI. THE LINDENS, THE LIQUIDAMBER, AND THE SASSAFRAS 141

Linden, Basswood. European Linden. Liquidamber, Sweet Gum. Hamamelis. Sassafras.

XII. THE MAGNOLIA AND TULIP TREE, THE CATALPA, THE AILANTHUS, AND THE ARALIA 153

Swamp Magnolia, Sweet Bay. Umbrella tree. Cucumber tree. Tulip tree. Catalpa. Ailanthus, Tree of Heaven. Angelica tree, Hercules’ Club.

XIII. THE APPLE TREE, PEAR TREE, MOUNTAIN ASH, CHERRY TREE, AND THE SHAD BUSH 167

Common Apple tree. Common Pear tree. Mountain Ash, or Rowan tree. Wild Black Cherry. Choke Cherry. Pin Cherry. Peach tree. Shad Bush. Service Berry, June Berry.

XIV. THE WILLOWS AND POPLARS 177

White Willow. Weeping Willow. Black Willow. Aspen, American Aspen. Large-toothed Aspen. Balm of Gilead, Balsam Poplar. Cottonwood, Necklace, or Carolina Poplar. Lombardy Poplar. White Poplar.

American Larch. Tamarack or Hackmatack. European Larch.

LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS

Swamp White Oak. _Quercus platanoides_ _Frontispiece_

Cross section of a tree. (Colored plate) 4

Horsechestnut. _Æsculus hippocastanum_ 14

Horsechestnut shoot 16

Section of a Horsechestnut bud. (Colored plate) 18

The Maples. (Colored plate) 20

Sugar Maple. _Acer saccharum_ 22

Trunk of a young Sugar Maple 23

Red Maple. _Acer rubrum_ 24

Trunk of a young Red Maple 25

Silver Maple. _Acer saccharinum_ 26

Moosewood Maple. _Acer pennsylvanicum_ 28

Norway Maple. _Acer platanoides_ 30

Sycamore Maple. _Acer pseudo-platanus_ 32

The Ashes. (Colored plate) 34

American Ash. _Fraxinus americana_ 36

Walnuts and Hickories. (Colored plate) 44

Butternut. _Juglans cinerea_ 46

Trunk of a Butternut 47

Black Walnut. _Juglans nigra_ 48

Trunk of a Black Walnut 49

Shagbark Hickory. _Hicoria ovata_ 50

Trunks of Shagbark Hickories 51

Mockernut Hickory. _Hicoria alba_ 52

Bitternut Hickory. _Hicoria minima_ 54

Pignut Hickory. _Hicoria glabra_ 56

Canoe Birch. _Betula papyrifera_ 58

Gray Birches. _Betula populifolia_ 60

Black Birch. _Betula lenta_ 62

Yellow Birch. _Betula lutea_ 64

Red Birch. _Betula nigra_ 66

European White Birch. _Betula alba_ 68

Hop Hornbeam. _Ostrya virginiana_ 70

Hornbeams. _Carpinus caroliniana_ 72

The Beech and Chestnut. (Colored plate) 76

Beech trees. _Fagus americana_ 78

Trunk of a young Beech 80

Chestnut. _Castanea dentata_ 82

The Oaks. (Colored plate) 83

White Oak. _Quercus alba_ 84

Trunk of a White Oak 86

Mossy-cup Oak. _Quercus macrocarpa_ 88

A young Post Oak. _Quercus minor_ 90

Black Oak. _Quercus velutina_ 92

Red Oak. _Quercus rubra_ 94

Trunk of a Red Oak 96

Pin Oak. _Quercus palustris_ 98

The American and Slippery Elms. (Colored plate) 100

American Elm. _Ulmus americana_ 102

Young Cork Elm. _Ulmus racemosa_ 106

English Elms. _Ulmus campestris_ 108

Scotch Elm. _Ulmus montana_ 110

Hackberry. _Celtis occidentalis_ 112

Buttonwood stem and bud. (Colored plate) 116

Buttonwood. _Platanus occidentalis_ 118

Trunk of a Buttonwood 119

Tupelo. _Nyssa sylvatica_ 120

Red Mulberry. _Morus rubra_ 122

White Mulberry. _Morus alba_ 124

The Locusts. (Colored plate) 128

Common Locust trees. _Robinia pseud-acacia_ 130

Honey Locust. _Gleditsia triacanthos_ 132

Kentucky Coffee tree. _Gymnocladus dioicus_ 134

Linden, Liquidamber, and Sassafras. (Colored plate) 140

American Linden. _Tilia americana_ 142

Liquidamber. _Liquidambar styraciflua_ 144

Sassafras. _Sassafras sassafras_ 146

Trunk of a Sassafras 148

Magnolia and Tulip tree. (Colored plate) 152

Tulip tree. _Liriodendron tulipifera_ 156

Catalpa. _Catalpa speciosa_ 158

Ailanthus. _Ailanthus glandulosa_ 160

Hercules’ Club. _Aralia spinosa_ 162

Mountain Ash. _Pyrus americana_ 166

A young Black Cherry tree. _Prunus serotina_ 170

White Willows. _Salix alba_ 176

Aspens. _Populus tremuloides_ 180

American Larch. _Larix americana_ 186

European Larch. _Larix europæa_ 188

When Miss Huntington told me last year that she was going to write a book about the trees in their winter aspects, knowing how conscientiously she had studied her subject and how successful she had been in imparting the results of her observation to others, I felt sure that she would do a useful and excellent piece of work, and that her book would be of real assistance to all persons who want to gain some knowledge of the trees which they pass in their daily walks.

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Annie Oakes Huntington's Studies of Trees in Winter opens with a striking claim: the American and English elms are 'really more beautiful in winter than in summer.' This assertion immediately frames the book's purpose—to reveal the structural elegance of deciduous trees when their leaves are gone. The opening chapter, 'The Study of Trees in Winter,' promises a systematic approach, covering trunk, branches, twigs, leaf-scars, bundle-scars, and buds. Yet the excerpt on elms shows that Huntington balances technical detail with lyrical observation, describing the American elm's 'strength and lofty stateliness' and its varied forms—Etruscan vase, plume, oak, and feathered. This dual focus sets the tone for a work that is both a field guide and a celebration of winter silhouettes.

A Systematic Yet Personal Approach

The table of contents reveals a clear structure: chapters progress from general study to specific genera, each covering multiple species. The elm chapter, for instance, treats American, slippery, cork, English, and Scotch elms, each with a concise description of twigs, buds, and bark. However, Huntington does not merely list facts. She notes that the American elm 'stands absolutely alone among trees for its especial kind of beauty,' and she identifies distinct shapes—vase, plume, oak, feathered—that arise from growing conditions. This blend of taxonomy and personal observation suggests that readers should expect both precise identification cues and reflective commentary on the trees' character.

The Role of Illustrations and Photographs

The title page credits Mary S. Morse for 'colored plates' and the author for photographs. In the elm excerpt, a photograph of the Lancaster elm illustrates the Etruscan vase form. This visual evidence is integral: Huntington describes shapes that are best seen, not just read. The mention of 'feathered' elms arising from 'latent buds which may have been dormant for years' hints at the book's attention to growth processes. For a first reader, the images likely serve as essential companions to the text, making abstract descriptions concrete. The interplay between word and image is a key feature of the work.

Winter as a Revealing Season

Huntington's focus on winter is not arbitrary. She argues that the season reveals 'every detail of the great arching limbs and slender pendulous branches,' as quoted from Charles S. Sargent's introduction. The elm's beauty is tied to its bare structure: the contrast between 'little twigs and the little branches' is hidden by leaves in summer. This perspective guides the reader to look for branching patterns, bud placement, and bark texture—features often overlooked. The book thus trains the eye to see trees as architectural forms, not just leafy canopies. The emphasis on winter as a time of clarity is a recurring theme.

Evidence from the Elms: A Case Study

The elm chapter offers a microcosm of Huntington's method. She describes the American elm's trunk dividing 'a short distance from the ground into many large, spreading branches,' and notes that the tree's shapes are so varied that 'many people think that each form is a separate species.' This observation underscores her goal: to teach readers to recognize unity within diversity. She also mentions the tree's susceptibility to insects and its association with 'beautiful old valley towns and hillside villages of New England.' Such details ground the botanical description in cultural and ecological context. A first reader can use this chapter as a model for approaching others.

As you read Studies of Trees in Winter, pay attention to how Huntington moves between the general and the specific. The opening chapters establish a vocabulary for winter identification, while later entries apply it to individual species. The excerpts suggest that the book rewards slow, patient reading—preferably with a tree in sight. Let the photographs and plates anchor your understanding, and note how the author's enthusiasm for her subject never overshadows the precision of her observations.

Winter has its own grammar. Huntington’s study taught me that a bare branch is a sentence waiting for patience, and every reading of her opening excerpts feels like turning a key in a familiar lock. That same quiet hush lingers over Trees of the Northern United States Their Study, Description and Determination — A Reader’s Guide, where identification becomes a kind of reverence, not merely a task. Both whisper the same truth: we only truly see a tree when it has shed everything else.