CHAPTER XxX. 
THE BIRCH. 
The Canoe-Birch.—Its Romantic and Legendary Connections.— Youth- 
ful Reminiscences.—Its Native Home and Attainable Dimensions. 
—Color and Use of its Bark.—European and American Birch.— 
Their Growth.—Advantages of Dense Sowing.—Its Value as Fuel. 
—Characteristics. Seed, Where Obtained.—Soil Suited to its Pro- 
duction.—Black Birch.—Its Usual Height.—Its Wood Described. 
— Where Found.— Seed, when Ripe.— Yellow Birch.—Where it 
Thrives.—Height and General Characteristics.—The Red Birch.— 
Its Proportions. —Its Climate. —Seed, when Ripe.—The White 
Birch.—Its Insignificance.—Its Only Virtue. 
Or this tree there are two principal kinds, the white 
or European birch and the American canoe-birch. The 
latter is connected with the legends of our Indians, and 
is emphatically a tree of romance and poetry. The 
birchen rod has had much to do with our public schools, 
and most of our great men have been soundly thrashed 
with it when boys. Both European and American birch- 
es grow to a large size in northern latitudes. 
When planted thickly the young birch grows up very 
straight and graceful. Who of us, when farmer-boys, 
have not cut a birchen rod for our line, and raised the 
speckled beauties from their native stream. Birch makes 
excellent fuel, and is valuable for cabinet-work. In north- 
~ ern Michigan the canoe-birch grows to a height of sev- 
enty feet. Its bark is white, and the tree highly orna- 
mental. Seed can always be obtained in Wisconsin. The 
seed-bed should be light, sandy loam, and the seed should 
be covered but lightly, and well sheltered from the sun 
until the plants are two or three inches high. 
