The Beech 125 



old trees that have been cut down, but the coni- 

 fers rarely grow except from seed. 



In all North America there are many kinds of 

 pines, a great many oaks, and several different 

 maples. But there is only one beech, which 

 most of us know for its small, sweet nuts. It is 

 a beautiful tree, rising in the forest to a height 

 of seventy or eighty feet, often with stout, low- 

 growing branches that make it an easy tree to 

 climb. 



The beech has a very old tree name, and many 

 old, odd uses. The root of the word is found in 

 an ancient language of the Hindus, a people of 

 India; and the men of centuries ago, long before 

 those times of which the Bible tells, wrote down 

 their thoughts on strips of beech cut smooth 

 and thin. 



Beech leaves are of one piece, or " simple." The 

 edges are sharp-pointed, with a small tooth at 

 the end of each vein. The leaves, three or four 

 inches long, are dark green on the surface, 

 lighter underneath and very thin. The buds are 

 a rich brown, and are long and pointed. Below 

 the buds are the leaf scars the tiny scars left 

 on the twigs by last year's leaves. 



