BEECH 311 



species. Like that of all other trees the sapwood will decay 

 sooner than the heartwood, and because Beech trees were 

 found lying on the ground in the deep woods, with the sap- 

 wood all rotted away and the red heartwood sound, it was 

 assumed that " Red Beech " was a distinct species. 



The wood is strong, tough, hard, but not durable. It is 

 close-grained, with little distinction between spring and 

 summer growth. It is difficult to season. The heartwood is 

 quite red and the sapwood nearly white. The sapwood is 

 mainly chosen for plane stocks, saw handles, and other uses 

 where wood is required capable of taking on a fine finish or 

 withstanding wear. It is used for turned and other parts of 

 cheap furniture, and is now being converted into flooring. 

 It has long been known as " clothes-pin wood," and for a 

 time that was about the most extensive use it was put to. 



It is not an early or a frequent seed-bearer, but generally 

 produces a generous crop when it does fruit. It may be 

 readily grown by planting the little triangular nuts, but as 

 it is a difficult tree to transplant, the seeds would best be 

 sown where the trees are to grow. It has many lateral roots, 

 which, when growing in the forest, run close to the surface 

 of the ground. These are filled with adventitious buds, 

 which spring into growth as the tree advances in age, and 

 a dense undergrowth naturally results, and there is little 

 difficulty in producing a natural stand, but, as a rule, these 

 do not produce large trees. Still, they will serve an excel- 

 lent purpose for fuel, and a young, vigorous Beech, pro- 

 perly seasoned, has few superiors for such use, either in a 

 closed stove or on the open hearth. Yet this tendency to 

 grow from sprouts should not govern in the decision 

 whether it is to be grown to the exclusion of better trees, 

 such as White Ash, Black Cherry, Sugar Maple, Basswood, 

 and some others, which naturally grow with it in our for- 

 ests. These superior trees can be more readily propagated, 

 and hence artificial reproduction of the Beech can hardly 

 be justified, except in the case of the farmer's woodlot, 

 where it could be made to play an important part in the 



