84 



The Farm Woodlot 



teristic of such areas as well as of abandoned fields. The 

 birches seed abundantly and the seed is scattered widely 

 by the wind. They also sprout from the stump and in 

 this way are prolific fuel producers. 



The hornbeam 



The hornbeam, or ironwood, is not a tree that is found in 



the farm plantation. It is very common and is found 



in practically every natural woodlot in which trees have 



had an equal opportunity to establish themselves. The 



hornbeam is sometimes called ironwood and is confused 



with the small tree called blue beech or ironwood. The 



two trees are small, but the hornbeam is by far the more 



valuable. The two trees may readily be distinguished 



from each other by the nature and color of the bark. The 



blue beech has a close-fitting dark gray bark and fluted 



trunk. 



The Common Hornbeam 



The hornbeam is a valuable little tree for its tough 

 and very hard and fine-grained wood. It does not grow 

 to large size, but can be depended on to furnish a 

 pole of exceptional strength and toughness. It is also 



