THE WOODS OF NEW BRUNSWICK. 27 
St John ; it is a strong and durable wood. Besides its employ- 
ment in shipbuilding, it has also been used in cabinet work, 
and in Fredericton for the frames of fanning mills and seed 
separators. When straight grained it is not liable to warp or 
split ; it is susceptible of a high polish, and derives additional 
beauty from the peculiarly irregular and variegated disposition of 
the grain. The young saplings make excellent hoops. 
4, CHERRY BIRCH, SWEET OR BLACK BIRCH (Betula lenta, L.). 
This, the handsomest and the most valuable of the birches, is 
found in all parts of New Brunswick, flourishing in nearly the 
same situations as its relative, the yellow birch, and attaining 
about the same proportions. It is especially common on the deep 
and shady banks of rivers, and on gravelly ridges along the shores 
of the Bay of Fundy, as well as on the fertile lands on the Upper 
St John, east of the Grand Falls, and north of the Tobique river, 
where there are hundreds of thousands of acres covered by it, the 
land there being of excellent quality. This great body of birch 
extends over a large part of the Crown Lands in the county of 
Restigouche ; the wood there is of large size and exceptional 
quality. It is also largely found on the Miramichi river and its 
branches ; the soil there being inferior, the quality of the wood 
is not good. It also occurs in many other places on the Crown 
Lands of New Brunswick. The principal use of the black birch 
is for the manufacture of square timber for export and in ship- 
building, especially for the keel, lower timbers and planks of 
vessels; its most important characteristic being its durability 
when kept permanently wet. Being of a fine and close grain, 
readily capable of being polished, as well as possessing a rich 
colour, somewhat resembling mahogany, it is largely used for chair 
and cabinet work. It is employed by the carriage makers for panels. 
It takes any kind of stain well, and can be easily made to represent 
rare woods, The birch used in the Boston Navy Yard is kept 
under water, which not only prevents it from decaying, but 
much improves its quality. 
Tae Wittow Famiry (Salicacee), 
The Poplars are the only trees in this family which require 
notice here. 
The Balsam poplar (P. balsamifera), in its variety the Balm of 
