BEECH 



and a line of contrast between the dense Autumn tissue and that 

 of the spongy Spring wood. 



Soft-tissue. Encircling and imbedding the pores and usually 

 joining them into tree-like masses : also in concentric bands ? 



Pith. Small, about i - o mm. diameter : somewhat 5-sided. 



Radial Section. Pores very prominent as coarse, cellular 

 grooves, often exposed for the length of several inches. Rays 

 inconspicuous pale flakes. Rings not marked except by the pore- 

 lines. 



Tangential Section. As the Radial, but the pores are not so 

 coarse as in the Radial section, but more of them are exposed side 

 by side. Rays inconspicuous lines about 0*5 mm. high. 



Type specimens from commercial sources and from trees known 

 before felling. 



No. 202. BEECH. Fagus sylvatica. Linn. 

 PLATE XV. FIG. 128. 



Natural Order. Cupuliferae. 



The F. sylvatica of Walter is the F. ferrugmea of Aiton. 



Alternative Names. White Beech in Canada, New Brunswick 

 and United States of America (12). St. John's Beech : Ameri- 

 can Beech in England when coming from St. John's, Newfound- 

 land. Fau : Fayard : Foyard in France (69). Hangebuche : 

 Mastbuche : Rothbuche in Germany. 



Sources of Supply. Europe, Asia Minor and America in the 

 colder temperate parts. 



Physical Characters, etc. Recorded dry-weight 41-56 Ibs. per 

 cu. ft. Hardness Grade 6, compare Chestnut or Walnut. Smell 

 or taste none. Burns very well with a lively flame without crack- 

 ling or ejecting sparks : little smoke : embers glow in still air. 

 Solution with water colourless. 



Grain. Very fine and close. Surface bright. 



Bark. Smooth without fissures until extremely old : green 

 to greyish-brown when young, later silvery-grey : inch thick : 

 leathery. 



Uses, etc. " Lacks elasticity : twists : cracks easily : subject 

 to the attacks of worms, . . . does not polish well : takes an anti- 

 septic injection readily and is used for sleepers " (69). Liable to 

 warp when drying : changes to a redder colour when steamed 

 soon after felling when the sap is still in. Chair-making, charcoal, 

 turnery, piles, plane stocks, sabots, butchers' blocks, felloes. 

 Durable under water and under cover, but rapidly perishes when 

 exposed to the weather. Crinon mentions a piece which had be- 

 come as hard as stone after being buried for twenty-four years. 



Authorities. Nordlinger (87), p. 519. Ditto (86), vol. i. p. 51. 



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