PROPERTY U!5HAKT 



N, C State College 



392 APPENDIX 



one another. To sum up, the whole root system is of no considerable depth (from 1 to 

 1.6 feet) but widely extended; the volume of the root wood equals one-fifth the total 

 contents of the bole and branches. 



Geographical Distribution. — The beech extends south and north from Mt. Etna 

 in Sicily to the sixtieth degree, beyond Christiana in Norway, over a length of about 

 24° of latitude; east and west; from the Caspian Sea to the Atlantic Coast, over about 

 65° of longitude. France is included in this area, but the greater part of Spain and the 

 whole of Algeria is excluded. 



Beech becomes a lowland tree only in the northern latitudes, on the North and 

 Baltic seacoasts. Its hmit of altitudinal distribution naturally increases the farther 

 south you go; its maximum is not over 850 feet in Norway, but as high as 7,087 feet 

 on the slopes of Mt. Etna. In France the limit of growth is 4,541 feet in the Vosges, 

 5,223 feet in the Jura, 5,381 feet on Mont Cenis, 5,462 feet on Mont Ventous, and 5,577 

 feet in the Pyrenees. 



The lower limits of the beech zone are less accurately known; it extends into the vine 

 region but does not reach the valley bottoms where the soil as a rule precludes beech 

 forests. 



Climate. — Toward the north and in the higher altitudes, cold limits the extension 

 of beech, which ceases growing when the January mean temperature falls below 5° to 

 6° C. (41° F. to 42.8° F.) in the plains and 6° to 7° C. (42.8° to 44.6° F.) on slopes. 



The southern limits are fixed by an excess of heat and consequent drying out due to 

 an insufficient rainfall. Thus beech ceases to grow when a maximum of 44° C. (111.2° 

 F.) or when the sum of the temperatures during the vegetative season exceeds 5,750° C. 

 And yet, in order that beech may reach the above extreme hmits, it requires from 

 seven to eight rainy days during the summer months — June to August. 



Soil. — Porous, light, and even rocky ground is suitable for beech provided rains 

 keep the soil fresh; compact, moist and marshy soils are absolutely harmful; this is 

 why it does not generally grow in the rich alluvial soil of the broad valleys. 



The mineral character of the soil seems of no great consequence, since fine forests 

 are found in sand, sand and rock, granite, porphyry, and pure clay; they seem to 

 thrive best in the latter. 



Yet beech is one of the most exacting species in respect of mineral nutrition; accord- 

 ing to the averages arrived at by Ebermayer after numerous experiments, a high forest 

 takes from the soil 476 pounds of mineral elements, 70 of these only for timber and 406 

 for leaves in order to produce 14,400 pounds of completely air-dried matter (timber 

 and leaves) ; under the same conditions and to produce an equal solid volume, a forest 

 would absorb only 139 pounds, in all about 37 for timber and 102 for leaves. The 

 requirements of beech as regards mineral elements are, therefore, as compared with 

 those of pine, in the ratio of 3.4 to 1. No doubt, as compared with some other species, 

 the ratio would not be so great. 



Competition with Other Species. — Favored by its thick foliage and its ability to 

 endure shade, beech . . . has taken the place of such light demanding trees as 

 oak, pine and birch. This was the case in Denmark, Holland, and other countries 

 where (as proven by the numerous charcoal pits found there) this tree did not formerly 

 grow, while pine, judging from the amount of the pine debris, was plentiful. Beech 

 is nowadays the dominant species of the forests of those countries, while pine has dis- 

 appeared from them. Julius Caesar found no beech in England where to-day it is 

 plentiful. 



Timber. — Despite morphological analogies, beech yields a timber very different 

 from that of oak or chestnut. It is white when cut ; it becomes reddish through exposure 

 to air, and after seasoning becomes a uniform light red, without any well-marked 



