186. THE BEECH. 



ness in their general appearance. Every small twig also 

 turns upwards, pointed with elongated leaf-buds, resem- 

 bling so many little spears. The terminal branches, form- 

 ing the spray, are very numerous and slender, and re- 

 markably beautiful. The Beech, when in full leaf, is seen 

 to the best advantage where it skirts the edge of a wood, 

 if it has grown up there since the original clearing. In 

 that situation we perceive the elegant sweep of its 

 branches, and the upright character of its leaves, each 

 leaf pointing obliquely upwards in the direction of the 

 spray, instead of hanging loosely in all ways, like the 

 foliage of the large-leaved poplars. Deciduous trees have 

 generally a drooping foliage, and the want of this habit in 

 the Beech gives it a very lively appearance. The heavi- 

 ness attributed by Gilpin to the English tree is not 

 observed in the American Beech ; on the contrary, it is 

 remarkable for a certain airiness, seldom putting forth 

 its branches in masses, but in such a manner that every 

 spray may be traced by the long upright rows of leaves. 



I should hesitate in saying that on cultivated ground, 

 and as a standard, the Beech would display those quali- 

 ties which are most admired. It is chiefly interesting 

 by the woodside, or skirting the banks of a stream. The 

 stiffness of its foliage renders it ungraceful as a solitary 

 standard. It may be remarked, in its favor, that it differs 

 so widely in its ramification from other deciduous trees as 

 to add a pleasing variety to any miscellaneous assemblage 

 of species. I can easily believe that it is not a favorite 

 resort for birds ; for its branches are too long and slender 

 for their convenience, and its foliage too thin to give 

 them a feeling of seclusion. If I were to plant a grove 

 of beeches, I would select the crumbling banks of water- 

 courses, where the trees would bind the fragile soil with 

 their roots and cover the banks and the hillside with a 

 beautiful wood and an agreeable shade. 



