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The river, or red, birch may be seen here; it is frequent along 
streams and lakes in the eastern parts of the United States; 
its wood is used in the manufacture of furniture. The 
black, or cherry, birch is in the collection, and this and the 
poplar-leaved birch are wild elsewhere in the Garden. 
There is also the European white birch and some of its 
varieties, the southern yellow birch, and others. The 
alders are present in several species: the dye alder, of Japan, 
which becomes a large tree; the Japanese alder, also of 
Japan; the speckled or hoary alder, of north temperate 
regions; and the European alder. 
The area devoted to the beech family lies to the west- 
ward of that assigned to the birch family; the oaks, the 
chestnuts and the beeches belong here. The oaks (Quercus) 
are represented by many species. One of these is the 
rock chestnut oak, of the northeastern United States; 
its wood is strong and durable, especially when in contact 
with the soil, and is therefore of great value for railroad 
ties and fence posts, and its bark is largely used for tanning. 
The mossy-cup or bur oak, of eastern North America, 
may be found here; this was discovered by the botanist 
Michaux in 1795, and is a valuable timber tree, its wood 
largely used for boat-building, for the manufacture of 
carriages and agricultural implements, for the interior 
finish of houses, and, on account of its durability in contact 
with the soil, for railroad ties. The red oak and the 
swamp white oak are natives of eastern North America; 
the latter is also a good timber tree, its wood being used for 
cabinet work and in various kinds of construction. The 
saw-toothed oak forms a part of this collection; its leaves 
are much like those of the chestnut, and might easily be 
mistaken for them; it is often planted in Japan in the silk 
districts, as its leaves are available as food for the silk- 
worms; the Japanese make charcoal from its wood, and 
from the bark they extract a blackdye. The post, oriron, 
oak is a native of the eastern United States. Here may be 
seen also the English oak, a native of Europe and western 
