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the forest, it is a low-sized tree with a broad, round leafy head, its lower 

 branches bending nearly to the ground. Its bark is of a slatey or blueish 

 hue, hence one of its names, " Blue Beech." Its wood is exceedingly 

 hard and tough, resisting all attempts at manufacture, and is only used 

 for mallets, rollers and levers, and being both tough and elastic, oxen 

 yokes are made from it. 



BIRCH (Bctula), thrives in any sterile soil, and is a very graceful tree. 

 Its wood is fine, close-grained, white, moderately hard, of considerable 

 strength, and takes a brilliant polish. It is largely used in shipbuilding 

 for the keel, lower timbers and planks of vessels, and as it is almost 

 indestructiblo under water is will adapted for piles, foundation timbers, 

 sluices and similar works. It is also used in cabinet work and for agri- 

 cultural implements. There are several species as follow : The White- 

 Birch (Betula alba), a small tree growing in dry or gravelly coil with 

 white, hard wood, extensively used in making spools ; Black or Cherry 

 Birch (B. Lenta), a medium-sized tree, preferring rich woodlands, with 

 reddish wood, good for cabinet work ; Yellow or Gray Birch (B. Lutea), 

 one of the largest of hardwood trees, reaching up to eighty feet, with R 

 trunk three to four feet in diameter; its wood resembles but surpasses 

 that of the Black Birch, and is excellent for fuel as producing great heat ; 

 Paper or Canoe Birch (B. Papyracea], a large tree which extends to a 

 higher latitude than any other deciduous tree; its wood is white and 

 compact and is used for spools, shoe lasts, &c. The bark being very 

 tough and durable, separates easily in large thin layers, and is used for 

 making canoes and a variety of Indian wares. Western Birch (B. 

 ocddcntalis) of the Pacific slope and found also in the North- West, is 

 reported as abundant, and largely used by settlers for fencing and for 

 general purposes. 



THE ALDER (Alnus), never attains any great size in the East, but is 

 nevertheless a useful tree. The Speckled or Black Alder (Alnus Incana) 

 found along streams and in sw amps, furnishes a heavy hardwood used 

 for foundry patterns, for the manufacture of charcoal, and for the final 

 baking of bricks. The Red Alder (Alnus Rubra) attains the dimensions 

 of a small tree on Vancouver and the neighbouring islands, and on 

 the coast of the mainland of British Columbia, sometimes attaining two 

 feet in diameter. The wood is easily worked, is well adapted for turning, 

 and takes a good polish. It is used for the better quality of furniture, 

 and is sent to Oregon for manufacture there. 



THE WILLOW (Salix), grows abundantly and is a graceful tree, not only 

 from being one of the first to assume a green tinge in spring, but also 

 from the fact of its retaining its foliage far into the autumn. Its wood is x 

 used by wheelwrights and for sundry articles of household use, where 

 elasticity and firmness are required. Its young shoots when properly 

 treated are used for baskets, but there is abundant scope for a large and 

 profitable business to be done in the cultivation of osiers as in Europe. 

 The Common or Swamp Willow (S. Cordata), seldom attaining any size, 

 grows along streams and in wet ground. S. Laxiandra is a British 



