a 86 FOREST TREES. 



height. As firewood, there are few woods better than good dry Beech ; 

 the green wood is slow to burn, but when thoroughly alight gives out 

 a strong heat ; it is good economy to lay in a stock of green wood 

 in the sleighing season for the next year's use. 



If the rough, fallen timbers and the under-brush are removed, the 

 Beech will form a charming home park, beneath the shade of which the 

 natural grasses spring up, and soon make a fine sward, a delightful, cool, 

 retreat for the cattle and sheep during the heat of Summer. 



The bark of the Beech is smooth and of a bluish-grey tint, richly 

 variegated in age by the various minute Lichens of many colours that 

 cloud its surface. These give a picturesque aspect to the trunk and 

 larger limbs that afford studies for the pencil of the artist. An old 

 fantastic gnarled Beech is, to the painter's eye, a thing of beauty and of 

 value ; he would, in the enthusiasm of his art, be inclined to cry out 



" Woodman, spare that tree."* 



The Birch. 



" The fragrant Birch above him hung 

 Her tassels in the sky." 



Of all the deciduous trees, the Birch appears to be the hardiest. 

 It is found in the coldest climates, in far Northern regions, where even 

 the hardy Pine and Spruce will scarcely grow, excepting in a dwarfed 

 and stunted state. 



In the far Nor"-\Vest, near Hudson's Bay, the Birch, in a low 

 dwarf form, still may be seen ; it is found m Iceland and Lapland 

 within the limits of the' Arctic Zone. Its uses are as numerous as its 

 geographical range is extensive and varied. The Reindeer feeds upon 

 the leaves, which also form a bed for his master ; the twigs and fibrous 

 roots are woven into baskets and Birch brooms are well known in the 

 stables and outbuildings of the farm. The sap, in Russia, is fermented 

 for wine and vinegar ; the aromatic oil of the Red Birch gives the 

 peculiar scent so pleasant to the Russia leather of the book-binder. 

 Who, in Canada and the American States, is not familiar with the bark 

 canoe of the Indian, the embroidered baskets, boxes and mats of the 

 squaw ? 



Nature is never idle. No sooner has the flower and fruit of a tree 

 arrived at perfection than a new work commences, nay, in many cases 

 has commenced. New powers are called into action, new leaf-buds are 

 forming and pushing off the old effete foliage, new material is being 

 collected to form the flowers and fruit for the ensuing year. Close- 



■ Tlie dasHlcal imiiie of the liKKcH is IrniM the (Jrrrk wiml wliicli means " to eat," in iiUusidn 

 to tli(r CHCiili-nt nuts. 



