TREES HAVING SIMPLE LEAVES 



99 



50. The Beech. The difference in the leaf forms of 

 the birch and beech is very marked. Both have toothed 

 edges, but in the beech the spaces between the teeth are 

 so remarkably shallow that one has to search for them. 



FIG. 108. A Remarkable Growth of Beeches in Greater New York 



There has been a common belief for generations that 

 the beech is proof against lightning, and recent experi- 

 ments prove that beech wood offers considerably greater 

 resistance to the electric current than oak, poplar, or 

 willow ; so our ancestors were partly right. The wood 

 is hard, strong, and tough, and will take a high polish. 



