THE BIRCHES 



By J. S 



rpHERE are thirty-five different kinds of Birches in 

 * the world. Fifteen of them are native to North 

 America. Nine of these become trees while six reach 

 only shrub size. 



The Birches belong to the group of trees known by 

 the scientific name of Betula. Some claim that this word 

 was derived by the great naturalist Pliny from bitumen; 

 others claim it is derived from betu, the Celtic name for 

 birch. There are still others who insist that it is derived 

 from the Latin word batuere, which means "to beat." 

 The latter belief has followers because the fasces of the 



A THRIFTY AND PROMISING STAND OF BLACK BIRCH 



Roman lictors, used to drive back the people, were always 

 made from Birch rods. 



There is a legend that one dwarfed variety of Birch 

 has never regained its original erect form and size after 

 Christ was beaten with sticks that had been taken from 

 it. The Russian peasants believe that the Birch tree is a 

 symbol of good health, and it is not unusual to find peas- 

 ants who permit themselves to be flogged with Birch 

 switches until they perspire. This form of sport is un- 

 questionably robust and goes under the trade name of 

 "sweat bath." 



Superstitious peoples in times past have depended upon 

 the power of the Birch tree to guard them against light- 

 ning, wounds, gout, and the evil eye. The medicinal value 

 of the Birch is not entirely a superstition, for the Black 

 Birch, also known as Sweet Birch and Cherry Birch, con- 

 tains in its inner bark an oil which is used rather ex- 

 tensively for flavoring and as a remedy for gout, rheuma- 

 tism and pulmonary troubles. The Black Birch is the 



. lUick 



only kind of Birch native to North America that con- 

 tains this oil in sufficient quantities to justify its distilla- 

 tion for commercial purposes. The oil is similar to that 

 distilled from the small shrub called wintergreen. 



Formerly the distillation of birch oil was in the hands 

 of poor and rather indolent, and often illiterate, moun- 

 taineers ; the same class that digs ginseng, picks huckle- 

 berries, pastures bees and trespass on the lands of others 

 without the slightest prick to their conscience. In the 

 early days one could find small birch oil stills scattered 

 throughout the woods over the entire range of the Black 

 Birch. Then the operators were wasteful to the extreme. 

 They felled thrifty young trees as well as defective speci- 

 mens, regardless of the effect that the cutting had upon 

 the future development of the forest. Their stills were 

 so crude and defective that only a small portion of the 

 available oil was extracted. Now modern equipment is 

 being used and much greater care is given to the forest 

 growth. The business is now in better hands, but it is 

 still wasteful and little thought is given to forest con- 

 servation. 



Many a farmer living near the mountains now spends 

 his winter months in the nearby forest operating at a 

 profit a small birch oil still. In 1890 the oil sold at $1.80 

 per pound. Then it rose to $3.00 and $4.00 a pound, and 

 during the war it went as high as $6.00 and $8.00 a pound, 

 and retailed from 50 to 80 cents an ounce. 



A BIRCH OIL STILL IN THE BACKWOODS OF PENN- 

 SYLVANIA 



The Black Birch has a long list of common names. It 

 is more fortunate than many other trees for most of them 

 are appropriate. It is called Black Birch because the 

 bark of the trunk is very dark. It is more distinctly 

 black than that of any other birch tree. It is also called 

 Sweet Birch because the inner bark of the young twigs 



