THE FOREST TREES OP UPPER CANADA. 37 



for tackle-blocks, and sometimes for gunwales of ships. It can be laid 

 on board of vessels at the ports of the lakes for 40/. sterling per 1,000 

 cubic feet ; freight to Quebec about 11/. Specific gravity, 0'59 ; weight 

 of cubic foot, 36 - 75 lbs. 



22. American or White Elm (Ulmus Americana). — A majestic tree, 

 attaining a diameter of 60 inches in some of the western counties of 

 Upper Canada, and of great height, with wide spreading branches. 

 Grows in most woods and along rivers, in rich soils. The wood is 

 tough and strong, used for the naves of wheels, and preferred by wheel- 

 wrights to the English elms. Can be furnished at the same price as the 

 rock elm. 



23. "White Beech (Fagus sylveslris). — Grows in almost every part of 

 Canada, of an average height of 110 feet; height to the first limbs 

 50 feet, and diameter 18 inches. It is distinguished from the red beech 

 by its size, the lighter colour of the bark and wood ; it is also of more 

 difficult cleavage, of greater compactness and strength, and is much 

 used for planes and other tools of carpenters ; also for lathe-chucks, 

 keys and cogs of machinery, shoe-lasts, toys, brushes, handles, &c. ; in 

 architecture, for in-door work ; common bedsteads and furniture ; for 

 carved moulds, for picture frames, and large letters used in printing ; 

 it is easily worked and may be brought to a very smooth surface. Vast 

 quantities of it is used for firewood. Specific gravity, 0'672 ; weight of 

 cubic foot, 41 lbs. ; outside wood contains 12 per cent., inside 4 per cent., 

 of potash. Value for heating, 65. 



24. Red Beech {Fagus ferrruginia). — The red beech is regarded by 

 many as only a variety of the beech, with the wood softer and of more 

 easy cleavage than the white, with also a slight difference in foliage. 

 The timber is not so valuable as that of the white beech, but used for 

 the same purposes. It is also abundant throughout Canada. The nuts 

 of both kinds are small, two together in the four-lobed burr, oily, sweet 

 and nutritious. 



25. Blue Beech (Carpinus Americana'). — Common along streams ; 

 grows 10 to 20 feet high, with ridged trunk ; an exceedingly hard, 

 whitish wood ; excellent for cogs of wheels and for purposes requiring 

 extreme hardness. The trunk is also made into brooms by being peeled 

 by a knife, and is the most durable and soft of the splint brooms. 

 Specific gravity, - 79 ; weight of cubic foot, 47 lbs. ; value for heat- 

 ing, 6 - 5. 



26. White Birch (Betula alba). — Grows on the hill-sides and the 

 banks of rivers ; a slender and beautiful tree of from one to two feet in 

 diameter and 50 feet high, but usually not so large. The trunk is 

 covered with a tough cuticle, consisting of numerous laminse, the outer 

 of which is snow-white. The wood is of a fine compact texture, tough 

 but not durable, and is used in turning and furniture. Specific gravity, 

 0-5 ; weight of cubic foot, 32 ; value for heating, 48. 



27. Paper Birch, White Birch (B. papyracea): — A large tree, with 



