58 FOREST TREES. 
it will be better than to attempt raising them from 
seed. With ordinary care, they transplant, when 
small, with ease and certainty of success. If seeds 
are bought, care should be taken to get only those 
which have been freshly gathered. 
The Birches are all fine trees, and in-all parts of 
‘the country are desirable to those who wish for 
variety in their plantations. 
1. Betula lenta—Black Birch, Cherry Birch. 
Leaves heart-ovate, sharply and finely double 
serrate, hairy on the veins beneath; fruiting catkins 
elliptical, thick, somewhat hairy; lobes of the veiny 
scales nearly equal, obtuse, diverging. 
When full grown, the Black Birch is sixty or 
seventy feet high, and two or three feet in diameter. 
It is one of the handsomest of the Birches, and the 
most valuable for timber. It is found from New 
England to Ohio; northward to Canada, and south- 
ward along the mountains. The bark and twigs are 
highly aromatic. The wood is of a rosy hue; it is 
fine grained, and is esteemed next to the Wild Cherry 
for cabinet work. It is also excellent fuel. It will 
thrive in soils and situations that suit the Sugar 
Maple, and is well worthy cultivation. The seeds are 
ripe about the first of November, and should be 
mixed with sand and kept till spring. They should 
be sown in beds of light, sandy loam, and very thinly 
covered. They will germinate better if slightly 
covered with moss or leaves to keep the surface 
moist. 
