90 TREES 



The Red Birch 



B. nigra, Linn. 



Red birch or river birch wears its name in its chocolate- 

 hued or terra-cotta bark, whose scaly surface flaunts a 

 series of tattered fringes to the very twig ends. Tall and 

 graceful fountains of living green, these birches lean over 

 stream borders from Minnesota and New York to the Gulf 

 of Mexico, and reach westward to the foothills of the 

 Rockies. Close-grained and strong, the pale brown wood 

 is used for furniture, shoe lasts, and a multitude of wooden- 

 wares. In the bayous of the lower Mississippi, where it;^ 

 roots and the base of the trunk are inundated for half the 

 year, the tree reaches its greatest size. The cones stand 

 erect and shed their heart-shaped, winged seeds in June — 

 an exception to the autumn-fruiting of all other birches. 



The Cherry Birch 



B. lenta, Linn. 



The cherry birch has dark, irregularly checked bark like 

 the wild cherry, but the oval, pointed leaf, the catkin 

 flowers, and the cone fruits of its family. Birch beer is 

 made of its aromatic sap and wintergreen oil is extracted 

 from the leaves. Indians shred the inner bark and dry it in 

 the spring when it is rich in starch and sugar. These 

 shreds, like vermicelli, are boiled with fish and form a 

 nourishing dish. The wood is heavy, hard, and close- 

 grained, valuable for the manufacture of furniture and 

 implements, especially wheel hubs, and for fuel. It is 

 one of the handsomest, most symmetrical, and most lux- 



