82 The Farm Woodlot 



from Europe and this makes it more difficult to know all 

 the native species. Willows are good trees for windbreak 

 purposes, particularly where snow traps are necessary 

 about plantations. Willows produce great quantities of 

 seed almost every year but it is not desirable to propagate 

 them from seed, since they grow very well from cuttings, 

 which method of propagation is the one used by all planters. 



The birches 



Every farm woodlot has some species of birch and 

 frequently there are a number of species. The black and 

 yellow birches are the most common trees in the deep 

 woods and are usually found along streams and in moist 

 places. The former is the larger tree, as a rule, and does 

 not favor moist places quite so much as the latter. By 

 consulting the following key, the common birches may be 

 readily distinguished. As a rule, after a little observation 

 they may be distinguished easily by their bark. The black 

 and yellow birches have a pronounced odor and flavor 

 of wintergreen in the inner bark. In the black birch this 

 flavor is very strong, while in the yellow it is milder and 

 modified by a slightly bitter taste. From the branches 

 and bark of the black birch is distilled the extract of winter- 

 green. Both these trees are valuable for their wood, 

 which has very general use for flooring and interior finish 

 as well as for furniture and many other purposes. About 

 the farm the birches are very useful for the excellent fuel 

 which they produce. The wood has good heating quali- 

 ties and burns without sparking. The gray and paper 

 birches are less important except for fuel. They usually 

 occur after a forest fire or after lumbering, and are charac- 



