THE BEECHES 



549 



to the word "book," which meant a collection of written 

 material or "bocs." Both the words "beech" and "book" 

 come from the same word "boc," and the connection be- 

 tween them is very evident. It is said that in ancient 

 times, probably five thousand years before the building 

 of Solomon's Temple, any library beyond the Euphrates 

 River was made up of several cords of trimmed and let- 

 tered beech bark. Since this bark was perishable, it has 

 wholly disappeared, and nothing now remains of these 

 early libraries of beech bark. 



The distinctive features of our native Beech are so 

 striking and so different from other trees that it may be 

 recognized very easily at any time of the year, and when 

 once known the tree cannot be forgotten. One distinc- 

 tive feature that is present throughout the entire year, 

 and may always be relied upon, is the Quaker-gray, close- 

 fitting, smooth 

 bark upon 

 which the Am- 

 erican youtii 

 has been cut- 

 ting his initials 

 and other out- 

 line carvings 

 The practice 

 of cutting ini- 

 tials upon the 

 bark is not to 

 be commended 

 for it only de- 

 faces the ap- 

 pearance of the 

 trunk, and per- 

 mits the col- 

 lection of large 

 quantities o f 

 filth and for- 

 eign material 

 in the cut de- 

 pressions that 

 are placed in 

 the bark. The 

 Beech is with- 

 out question the best-groomed of all the trees native to 

 North America. It always appears clean and attractive, 

 and any practice which tends to deface the beauty of this 

 clean tree should be stamped out completely. 



It is not necessary to rely on a single distinguishing 

 characteristic to identify this tree, for even in the midst 

 of winter one can find striking features. The slender, 

 sharp-pointed, conical winter bud, about three-quarters 

 of an inch long, and covered with ten to twenty reddish- 

 brown scales, cannot be confused with those of any other 

 native forest tree. The opening of these unusual buds in 

 spring time is a process which is worth while watching, 

 for there is no phenomenon in all Nature that is more 

 interesting and instructive. At first one notices only a 

 slight swelling of the bud. Then there appears to be 

 a period of rest, but in reality it is a period of prepara- 



A WELL-MANAGED BEECH FOREST. THE FOREST SOIL IS FURROWED TO PREVENT 

 SIGN AND HELP THE GERMINATION OF TREE SEEDS 



tion, for all at once the bud opens up and the new growth 

 shoots forth at a rapid rate, and in the course of a few 

 weeks the entire growth of the season is completed. The 

 belief is prevalent that our forest trees grow from early 

 spring to late in fall, but this is not correct. For one 

 year the writer selected one hundred trees and measured 

 their growth daily. He found that most of our common 

 trees make about 90 per cent of their height growth in 

 less than forty days in early spring, and usually rest for 

 the remainder of the year. 



Through the long summer months there is no tree in 

 our forest that is more beautifully clad than the Beech. 

 Its leaves are ovate, stiff, and marked with straight 

 veins, and bordered with wavy margins. A close exami- 

 nation of a Beech tree will show that the leaves are pro- 

 duced in large numbers and arranged closely on th? 



twigs. This 

 close arrange- 

 ment of the 

 leaves forms a 

 dense shade 

 and in autumn 

 upon falling to 

 the ground 

 forms a dense 

 leaf- -cover on 

 the forest 

 floor. There is 

 no forest tree 

 that produces 

 a more co- 

 pious crop of 

 leaves than the 

 Beech. This 

 accounts for 

 the fact that it 

 is regarded as 

 the mother of 

 the forest soil, 

 for it does 

 not only main- 

 t a i n, but it 

 even improves 

 the fertility of the forest soil. From early to late in 

 the fall the Beech, next to the Chestnut, is the most fre- 

 quented of the native trees. It produces a triangular, 

 brown nut that is edible. It is prized by man, squirrels, 

 blue jays, and many other domestic and wild animals. A 

 trip to a Beech tree in fall will always be rewarded by 

 finding the ground beneath it covered with prickly burs. 

 Upon opening one of these burs, two triangular, brown- 

 ish, thin-shelled nuts are usually uncovered, which con- 

 tain a sweet and edible kernel. The nuts are produced 

 in such large numbers that in spite of their edible quali- 

 ties, many remain hidden in the leaf cover and germinate 

 the following spring. 



One of the most impressive sights in the forest is to 

 see a broad-spreading Beech tree with thousands of small 

 seedlings growing beneath its shelter. The writer has 



ERO- 



