birch is abundant have painful recollections concerning this use of its branches. 

 In this connection the Dean of Wells in 1568 wrote the following: 



"I have not red of any vertue it hath in physick; howbeit, it serveth 

 for many good uses, and for none better than for betynge of stubborn 

 boys that either lye or will not learn." 



WHITE BIRCH 



The European white birch (Betula alba) is closely related to the paper 

 birch which is a native of northeastern United States. It is the most hand- 

 some of the white birches and is thought by Hamerton to be one of the most 

 beautiful of trees. 



"The birch is always beautiful in herself," he says, "and not the least 

 beautiful in winter, when all her light woody structure is distinctly visible, 

 from the silvery trunk to the dark purple sprays. In spring her light green 

 foliage strikes the eye as crude, but in autumn the thinly scattered little 

 leaves of pale gold tell with the greatest brilliance amongst the darker shades 

 of the forest, and the whiteness of the stems is brilliant against the russets and 

 purples and dark greys." 



The white birch is a short lived, tree which reaches a height of about 

 fifty feet with a trunk seldom over a foot in diameter. The trunk is a definite 

 column to the tip of the tree and gives off branches which are considerably 

 slighter and darker. From these branches droop still slighter twigs which 

 give the tree its daintiness and charm. The silvery bark is emphasized by 

 many transverse markings known as "lenticels" which are spaces where air 

 is admitted to the living tissues beneath the bark. 



There are a number of varieties of the birch, one of the most beautiful 

 being the weeping cut-leaved birch (Betula alba laciniata pendula). This is 

 common in parks and estates and is used to some extent on narrow roads or 

 streets where a marked contrast in growth is desired. Single specimens on 

 lawns are very attractive since the fine slender shoots, deeply cut leaves, and 

 snowy white trunk are revealed in all their beauty.- 



The birches do best in the coast region where there are favorable soil and 

 atmospheric conditions. Their natural habitat is in cool regions and they 

 will not thrive where there is too much heat. The growth is slow, but under 

 good care the birch will form a good head and make a splendid small tree for 



(S3) 



