550 



AMERICAN FORESTRY 



found as many as 143,000 small Beech seedlings on one- 

 quarter of an acre of forest land in the northwoods. One 

 of the strongest weapons that this tree possesses is Its 

 power to produce a large number of strong and vigor- 

 ous offspring. This heavy production of seed insures 

 the continuation of this tree. The young seedlings en- 

 dure a dense shade for many years. It seems as if they 

 patiently awaited the day when the forest canopy above 

 them will be opened up sufficiently to permit them to be- 

 gin their height growth and take their place in the for- 

 est stand. 



The Beech is one of the most clannish trees of the for- 

 est. Occasionally one finds solitary specimens, some- 

 times it occurs in groups, and it is not unusual to find 

 extensive pure stands that are made up almost entirely 

 of Beech. This is attested by the fact that one fre- 

 quently finds such names as "Beech Flat," "Beech 

 Ridge," "Beech Woods," and "Beech Bottom" in local 

 use. 



For many years the wood of the Beech was used little 





TIIK QL'AKERGRAY, CLOSE-FITTING, AND 

 "I R NATIVE BEECH DISTINGl/ISHES IT 

 FOREST TREES. 



SMOOTH BARK OF 

 FROM ALL OTHER 



THE BEECH HAS MANY DISTINCTIVE FEATURES 



1. The pollen-bearing flowers occur in small drooping balls and appear 



when the leaves are one-third developed. 



2. An enlarged pollen-bearing flower. 



3, An enlarged seed-producing flower. 



4, A branch with mature leaves and ripe fruit burr. 

 .5. A beech seed. i 



6. A twig with typical winter buds. . 



7. No other tree has winter biids, that can be confused with the lonp. 



slender and pointed buds of the beech. 



for lumber, but long ago it was given an .important place 

 as firewood and furnished much of the raw material in 

 the manufacture of charcoal. In recent years methods 

 have been developed by which Beech wood may be sea- 

 soned and treated in such a way that it is now a rather 

 ]iopular wood upon the market. Many million feet ol 

 it are now manufactured into flooring and it is being sub- 

 .stituted in many places for purposes for which Mapie 

 was formerly used almost exclusively. Its modern uses 

 are many. There is scarcely a manufacturing establish 

 ment east of the Rocky Mountains that manufactures 

 hardwood commodities, especially those used in tlu- 

 household, that does not use Beech. In Michigan alone 

 there are about 30,000,000 board feet used each year in 

 the manufacture of boxes. It is widely employed in the- 

 manufacture of furniture, vehicles, agricultural implc-^ 

 ments, wooden ware, and musical instruments. Approxi- 

 mately 75 per cent of all the wooden household articles 

 that are sold in 5, 10 and 25-cent stores are made of 



