126 CONVERSATIONS ON THE 



saplings are made into hoops ; and besides 

 this, great quantities of it are consumed as 

 fuel. The bark is highly esteemed for tan- 

 ning. 



" But of all the birches, that which supplies 

 the best wood is the black. In some places 

 it is called cherry birch, and in others moun- 

 tain mahogany, but black birch is the most 

 common name. It is found in the Northern 

 or Eastern States, but abounds most in the 

 Middle, particularly in New- York and Penn- 

 sylvania. The leaves are very much like 

 those of the cherry-tree ; when bruised, they 

 give out a sweet and agreeable smell, 

 and retain this property when they are dried. 

 The bark of the young trees is smooth, grayish, 

 and in other respects exactly like that of the 

 cherry; when the trees are old, the outer 

 bark cracks into plates six or eight inches 

 wide. 



" The wood, when first cut, is rose-coloured, 

 but it soon becomes quite dark : the grain is 

 fine and close, and it takes a remarkably bril- 

 liant polish ; it is very strong, too ; and cabi- 

 net-makers in the country esteem it next to 

 the wood of the wild cherry. Tables, and 

 bedsteads, and other furniture made of it, in 



