YELLOW BIRCH 307 



finished, the old heartwood is frequently substituted for it in 

 furniture and interior finish, and the possessor of it is little 

 wronged. The heartwood is of a reddish brown color, with 



O 



light yellow sapwood frequently composed of fifty or sixty 

 annual layers. It is close-grained, with very small and in- 

 conspicuous medullary rays. It takes glue well, and shows 

 a satiny texture when properly finished. 



It is of extremely slow growth, and seldom attains a large 

 size before decay sets in. While furnishing valuable timber, 

 its slow growth will prevent its profitable reproduction by 

 planting. Natural regeneration occurs wherever an oppor- 

 tunity is given, as it is a prolific seeder and the seeds are 

 scattered widely by the winds. Whatever the future of the 

 tree may be, it must rest entirely upon natural reproduction. 

 Aside from the general uses of the wood referred to, the 

 twigs, small branches, and bark are distilled for the essen- 

 tial oil they contain, which is palmed off on an unsuspect- 

 ing purchaser as " wintergreen," and he is not so greatly 

 wronged as he might be, for it is preferred by some to the 

 genuine article. When tapped or wounded in the spring, 

 Black Birch yields an enormous amount of slightly sacchar- 

 ine sap, which will flow about the time the buds burst and 

 the leaves begin to appear. 



YELLOW BIRCH : GRAY BIRCH : Betula lutea 



THIS is a very common tree in the Northern States, rang- 

 ing from the Canadian line to North Carolina and Tennes- 

 see. Like several other species of trees, its wood was not 

 deemed valuable until conditions forced its use. Until re- 

 cent years lumbermen left it in the woods either to blow 

 down, be burned, or scatter its light, winged seeds far and 

 wide when its cones opened, which occurs early in the fall. A 

 brisk wind will carry the seeds for miles. In some localities 

 this feature makes it more than a weed tree, it becomes 

 a pest, as it grows rapidly in early life and suppresses more 

 valuable species. In old age it grows slowly, and in some 



