364 



AMERICAN FORESTRY 



of seeds carefully stored away within them. After the 

 snow falls, and with the alternate thaws and freezes, 

 these fruiting bodies begin to break apart and liberate 

 the seeds. The wind drives the tiny but well-winged 

 seeds in every direction. Many of them land upon the 

 snow, where they rest until the snow melts, and with 



THE PAPER BIRCH IS THE QUEEN OF THE NORTH- 

 WOODS. ITS LEAVES, FLOWERS, FRUIT AND WINTER 

 TWIGS ARE DISTINGUISHING CHARACTERISTICS 



the melting snow are caxried down between the rocks and 

 land on mineral soil. Here they germinate and estab- 

 lish themselves in i)laces not reached by other larger and 

 heavier seeds. 



In the northwoods it is not unusual to find birch trees, 

 particularly the Yellow Birch, standing on high, spread- 

 ing roots, two, three, or even six feet above the ground. 

 This unique condition is brought about by the manner 

 in which the small seedling trees grow. The seed falls 

 on moss covering the top of a log or stump. The moss 

 retains much nioisture, and after the seed germinates the 

 trees grow and send their roots down the side of the 

 Intj or stump until they reach the mineral soil in which 

 tluy ))CC()nK- firmly fixed. In time the log or stump 

 (kca\ s. and the spreading roots continue to support the 

 trunk st-vcral feet above the ground. This unique root 

 dcvtli.j.niciit of the Yellow Birch is quite conmion in 

 d.iniji woods. Cjcxasionally one finds the same growth 



form on large rocks or boulders. This unique root de- 

 velopment may be explained by the fact that a birch seed 

 fell in the moss covering the rock, began to germinate, 

 and the roots descended the side of the rock until they 

 reached the ground, and as the rock did not decay or 

 disintegrate the tree continued to grow to maturity over 

 the rock with the base of the tree trunk often ten feet 

 above the ground. 



The birches as a group occupy an important place in 

 the northwoods. Many useful commodities are made 

 from their wood, and they serve a wide range of other 

 uses. They appear to be defending themselves against 

 the aggression of other forest trees, because nature has 

 provided them with a strong defensive weapon, in that 

 all of them produce enormous quantities of seeds, and the 

 resulting seedlings can adapt themselves to a wide range 

 of growth conditions. 



We need the birch tree in the northwoods, and with 

 the increased protection that is being given to our for- 

 ests, it seems fair to assume that the birches will play an 

 important role in the future management of the forests of 

 the Northeast. 



FROM WILD TO GARDEN FLOWERS 



{Cont'd from page 353.) 

 firmament, is enough to arrest and hold the dullest eye. 

 Then, .... there are individual hepaticas, or in- 

 dividual families among them, that are sweet scented. 

 The gift seems as capricious as the gift of genius in fami- 

 lies. You cannot tell which the fragrant ones are till 

 you try them. Sometimes it is the large white ones, 

 sometimes the large purple ones, sometimes the small 

 pink ones. The odor is faint, and recalls that of the 

 sweet violets. A correspondent, who seems to have care- 

 fully observed these fragrant hepaticas, writes me that 

 this gift of odor is constant in the same plant ; that the 

 plant which bears sweet-scented flowers this year will 

 bear them next." 



Long will the name of John Burroughs live, and long 

 will live the lovely things he said and penned about our 

 birds and flowers. 



IT' ACH acre of walnut trees in bearing will produce 

 '--' every year food approximating 2,500 pounds of 

 beef. The North Woods. 



'T'HE California State Board of Forestry has acquired 

 * 30 acres of land on which they are raising trees 

 for highway planting. 



Give fools their gold, and knaves their power 

 Let Fortunes bubbles rise and fall, 

 Who saves a field, or trains a flower 

 Or plants a tree, is more than all. 



Whittier. 



