CHAPTER VI 



THE BEECH 



THE beech tree, Fagus, belongs to a genus con- 

 taining more than a dozen species of trees, some of 

 them being deciduous and others evergreen, widely 

 distributed throughout the temperate regions of both 

 hemispheres. The common beech of North America 

 and of northern Europe are closely related and are 

 the two species which are at the present time most 

 valuable for their food products. The nuts, while 

 small, are borne so abundantly that animals and 

 birds become very fat upon this mast. The nuts 

 for the most part do not find their way into the 

 markets as food for man as yet. 



In all probability trees bearing specially large nuts 

 will be selected for purposes of propagation and per- 

 haps under conditions of cultivation a large beech- 

 nut for table use will be developed. Among many 

 parcels of beechnuts sent in response to prize offers 

 there has been an occasional lot of nuts so much 

 larger than the average that we may anticipate the 

 finding of larger ones yet when a sufficient degree 

 of attention has been given to the subject. 



As yet grafting of the beech has been done only 

 for the securing of ornamental types. 



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