COMPOSITION OF VARIOUS TREES 93 



In the vicinity of London there are many 

 avenues of beeches — the most celebrated being 

 tlie Burnham Beeches, near Windsor. 



The timber of the beech is used for flood-gates, 

 piles, and sluices ; also in the manufacture of 

 chairs, joiners' tools, etc. It is also used for 

 smoking fish, in the preparation of creosote, and 

 as railway sleepers. 



The ashes of the bark, wood, and nut contain in 

 100 parts : — 



One ton of this tree extracts 56 lbs. of mineral 

 matter from the soil. 



It may be remarked that fungi have been found, 

 by Frank and others, on the root-tips of beeches, 

 birches, and hazels. This is a kind of symbiosis. 



