278 TREES OF MINNESOTA. 



Properties of wood. Light, rather hard, strong and close 

 grained. It is light brown, with lighter colored sapwood. Spe- 

 cific gravity 0.5762; weight of a cubic foot 35.91 pounds. 



Uses. The River Birch is seldom used as an ornamental 

 tree, although it is very beautiful and does well in any good 

 retentive soil. The wood is used for furniture, cabinet making, 

 wooden shoes, ox yokes and in turnery. 



Betula lutea. Yellow Birch. Gray Birch. 



Leaves ovate or oblong-ovate, wedge shaped or slightly heart 

 shaped at the base. Bark of trunk yellowish gray and somewhat 

 silvery, separating into thin layers and hanging loosely coiled 

 up in rolls, giving old trunks a very ragged appearance. Fruit- 

 ing catkins short, oblong. The inner bark, twigs and leaves 

 spicy, aromatic, similar to wintergreen, but much less so than 

 B. lenta. A large and very valuable timber tree. 



Distribution. From Newfoundland to the valley of the Rainy 

 river, and south to North Carolina and Tennessee. In Minne- 

 sota common in woods in north half of the state and rare in the 

 western and southwestern portion. 



Propagation. See genus Betula. 



Properties of wood. Heavy, very strong, hard and close 

 grained, with a satiny surface that takes a fine polish; it is light 

 brown tinged with red, with thin white sapwood. Specific grav- 

 ity 0.6553; weight of a cubic foot 40.84 pounds. 



Uses. The wood of the Yellow Birch is one of the most valu- 

 able of our northern woods, and is sometimes termed American 

 Mahogany. It is largely used in the manufacture of fine furni- 

 ture, the hubs of wheels, and for small wooden articles such as 

 clothes pins, pill boxes, shoe pegs, tool handles, tripods, and 

 also for keels for ships. As fuel it is much superior to Paper 

 Birch. The bark is used to some extent for tanning purposes. 

 The volatile oil used for imparting the flavor of Birch to can- 

 dies, soda water, etc., is derived to some extent from this species 

 though mostly from the Sweet Birch (B. lenta.) It requires a 

 cold, moist soil to develop its best form, and suffers severely 

 from drouth. On this account it is not desirable as an orna- 

 mental tree or for prairie planting. 



