(i59) 



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 black dye. The post, or iron, 

 oak is a native of the eastern United States. Here may be 

 seen also the English oak, a native of Europe and western 



