Decembeb 1, 1896.] 



KNOWLEDGE. 



283 



The leaves, which appear in the beginning of May, are 

 shining, oval, veined underneath, and slightly notched 



Fio. 1. — A BeecU Tree growiug on the Banks of the River Ayr. 



(Fig. 2). In spring they are of a pale green tint, turning 

 darker as they increase in size, and in autumn they assume 

 a beautiful russet hue ; then, as Dr. E. Lees so eloquently 

 puts it, " the splendour of every other tree fades before 

 that of the beech, which continues the longest of all, and 

 under particular circumstances is of the most brilliant 

 description. This arises from its lucid leaves, which vary 

 in hue from auburn to gold colour and umber, reflecting 

 back the level rays of the descending sun, and thus burning 

 with a pre-eminent lustre, like a sudden illumination." 

 The flowers appear soon after the leaves and take the 

 form of globular clusters, the male on longer and more 

 Blender drooping stalks than the female. The fruit — the 

 well-known brown nuts— are of a sharply triangular shape 

 and enclosed in pairs in a prickly husk. They ripen in 

 October ; the husk, opening in four sections, allows the nut 

 to drop out while it remains for a time attached to the 

 tree. 



The beautiful smooth olive-grey bark, although not 

 glossy like that of the birch, gives the bole of the beech a 

 peculiar charm of its own. This is best seen when strolling 

 through a beech wood on a bright winter day ; the pale 

 fluted trunks, which stretch on all sides as far as the eye 

 can reach, appear as if carved in stone, like the lofty 



columns of some grand cathedral, but infinitely more varied, 

 while the sun lights up the stems and shows ofl" their 

 beauty. On these trunks may often be seen scattered 

 excrescences, called "knurs,'' varying in size from a pea to a 

 large marble ; they may be knocked off by a sharp blow 

 with a stick, and are found to be composed of a solid ball of 

 wood, surrounded by a layer of bark. What causes these 

 knobs does not seem to be well known ; they are said to 

 grow if planted, and are sometimes seen shooting while 

 attached to the tree. 



The wood of the beech is used for an immense variety 

 of purposes. It is heavier when green than that of any 

 other of our timber trees, but loses nearly one quarter of 

 its total weight in drying ; it is tolerably hard and some- 

 what brittle, close and even in texture, with a fine silky 

 grain and not difticult to work. Although not very lasting 

 when exposed to the air, if kept submerged it lasts weU, 

 and is therefore in use for keels and planking of boats, mill 

 wheels, sluices, etc. Tiirners find it useful wood, as do 

 cabinetmakers. As a fuel it is superior to the wood of 

 most other trees, and from its charcoal gunpowder is 

 manufactured. The branches and sprays are distilled for 

 the production of pyroligneous acid. 



Fio. 2.— Braiuh, Leaves, and Fruit of the Beech. 



The " mast," once so valuable a source of rustic wealth, 

 is still the favourite food of swine, deer, and poultry ; and 



