BIRCH. 65 



tlie wood, and an oil is obtained from the degot or white rind, 

 whicli gives to the well known Russia leather its superior 

 qualities. 



Guetard states, that before and subsequent to the aera of 

 Alexander the Great, the white inner bark of the birch was the 

 only paper used by the Gauls. Specimens of this rude material 

 are still preserved in the cabinets of the curious*. 



The utility of the birch as a dye, has been confirmed by 

 numerous experiments. It affords a brown, yellow, fawn, or 

 red colour, according to the mode by which it is prepared. It 

 is also reputed to fix the colour of logwood. 



In many parts of the country a wine is made of the sap, 

 which is procured in great quantities by boring a hole in the 

 trunk of the tree early in the spring. The incision should be 

 made at the top of the trunk or the branches, and prior to 

 the appearance of the leaves. The juice thus obtained is 

 limpid and sweetish, and readily passes into the vinous 

 fermentation. Inspissated and set aside for some time in a 

 cool place, it deposits crystals of a sweetish taste, resembling- 

 manna. 



Medical Properties and Uses. — The medical virtues of this 

 tree are few and inconsiderable, nevertheless it has been much 

 lauded. The juice before mentioned, given to the extent of 

 from two to five ounces, was esteemed an excellent depurative 

 in cutaneous eruptions, diuretic, diaphoretic, and lithontriptic. 

 Bergius and Rosen state that it is vermifuge. They direct 

 it to be preserved for use, by pouring a little oil on the surface, 

 by which means it may be kept for several months. The leaves 

 and the bark have also enjoyed some reputation as detergents 

 and antiseptics. The Muscovite and Swedish peasants apply 

 the leaves to any part affected with rheumatic pains or gout, 

 and experience relief from their sudorific action. The Lap- 

 landers obtain from the fissures of the wood in old trees a sub- 

 stance resembling an Agaric, which they use as i7wxa, and 

 which forms their chief resource in all complaints where there 



* 'While enumerating the various uses of the birch, we must not omit to 

 notice its manufacture into brooms, and the well known instruments of 

 castigation, the " birchen sprays." It seems to have been an emblem of 

 authority in the early clays of the Roman republic, since it was bound up 

 in the fasces which were carried before the chief magistrates. 



