Trees and How to Know Them [ 359 



From Beech to Book: This bark offers youngsters a tempting 

 opportunity to carve their initials on its smooth surface. The idea 

 of using it as a slate is far from new! It is said that centuries ago 

 in Europe some of the first writing was done on beech-bark strips, 

 and there is an interesting connection between the words beech 

 and book. Beech comes from the Anglo-Saxon beeche } to which 

 our word booh is closely related. 



What Beech Wood is Used For: Though unsuitable for important 

 building, beech has a number of practical uses, serving for such 

 humble articles as boxes, crates, barrels, and clothespins. Seeing 

 one of these handsome trees with its many long, wide-spreading 

 branches, you are hardly likely to associate it with such lowly 

 though essential products. 



The glossy, dark blue-green leaves of the beech are between 

 three and five inches long, and each vein ends in a small sharp 

 tooth. The leaves sometimes cling stubbornly to the branches 

 throughout the winter. 



ASH TREES PLIANT BUT TOUGH 



Of the eighteen different species of ash growing in the 

 United States, the white ash is the largest and handsomest. You 

 may discover it on a variety of soils most often on well-drained 

 fertile sites along streams and on north or east slopes. Its compact, 

 oval head is a rich green that derives from the dark tone of the 

 lancelike leaflets. These are the compounded type of leaf; from 

 five to nine short-stalked blades are attached to each leaf stem. 



Possibly the ash got its name from its dark ashy gray bark. In 

 any event the color of the bark serves as a reminder of the tree's 

 name. The bark is cut by deep diamond-shaped fissures with broad 

 flattened ridges between them. The seeds are equipped for flight, 

 each being enclosed in a single wing. 



Ash for Baseball Bats: There are not many purposes for which the 

 white ash is esteemed, but some of the special uses to which it is 

 put provide a lot of fun for boys and girls. White ash is the only 

 wood used for making good baseball bats, and it is excellent for 



