152 



SYLVA AMERICANA. 



yellow birch for the lower part of the frames of vessels. It is 

 also employed for hoops, shoe lasts, the handles of tools, and is 

 especially proper for the tops of cards, because when perfectly 

 seasoned, it is not liable to warp. This wood is used for fuel, 

 but it is less esteemed than the sugar maple. The beech nuts are 

 of a triangular form, with a smooth, tough skin, and a fine interior 

 pellicle adhering to the kernel. They are united in pairs in 

 capsules garnished with soft points, from which they escape about 

 the first of October, the season of their maturity. The fruit 

 should be gathered as soon as it is ripe, as it is liable to be 

 injured by the rain. They should be collected in dry weather, 

 and spread like corn, in a garret or other place secure from 

 humidity, and frequently turned. They are found to be better 

 when dried insensibly in this manner than when exposed to the 

 sun. A rich oil may be extracted from these nuts, and when 

 done with skill equals one sixth of the fruit. 



White Beech. Fagus sylvestris. 



PLATE XXVIII. 

 Fig. 1. A leaf aid fruit. Fig. 2. A nut. 



The White Beech is one 

 of the tallest and most ma- 

 jestic trees of the American 

 forests. It grows the most 

 abundantly in the Middle and 

 Western States. Though it 

 is common in New Jersey, 

 Pennsylvania, Maryland and 

 throughout the country east 

 of the mountains, it is insu- 

 lated in the forests, instead 

 of composing large masses, 

 as in Genessee, Kentucky 

 and Tennessee. A deep, 

 moist soil and a cool atmos- 

 phere are the most suitable 

 to the 2;ro T .Yth of this tree. 



