The cut-leaved form of the European beech is a very decorative tree. The feath- 
ery, finely cut foliage gives a remarkable effect of lightness 
Typical specimens of the European beech grown in the open; low branching and 
round head. Though a large tree, it is nota heavy mass 
All the Beeches Worth Growing—By Louis Harman Peet 3% 
AN ATTEMPT TO ANALYZE THE SPECIAL HORTICULTURAL MERITS OF THE ONE AMERICAN TREE AND 
THE FOURTEEN FORMS OF THE EUROPEAN SPECIES—THE DISTINCTIONS AND ADAPTATIONS OF THE 
DIFFERENT COPPER AND CRIMSON FOLIAGED FORMS, 
S ORNAMENTAL trees the beeches 
attract attention primarily on account 
of |their dignity of form and _ peculiarly 
“clean”. appearance; they give ample and 
spreading shade; the leaves are remarkably 
free from the insect pests, and they can, 
generally, be readily transplanted. ‘They 
thrive best in a rich, deep, sandy loam, but 
will grow well in any ordinary soil. The 
trees attain a height of 80 to 100 feet. In the 
different seasons the beech presents totally 
different pictures: In summer it is a broad 
dome of grateful shade; in winter a glory of 
dazzling light gray; in spring it floats out its 
soft velvety gold-green leaves; and in autumn 
it is a rich and mellow mingling of subdued 
yellow-browns and grays. 
There are two distinctly different forms of 
growth in the beech. In the forest it lifts 
itself in tall and somewhat ‘‘Y” shaped 
branches, developing a narrow and close 
head; but out in the open, where it can freely 
WITH 
Article No. X in the “Little Monographs” series 
stretch its limbs, it spreads out broadly, send- 
ing the lower branches in a horizontal direc- 
tion, and developing a massive, round- 
headed, more or less open tree of faultless 
symmetry. 
In winter, when the majority of trees are 
bare, the beeches, like the oaks, often hold 
some of the leaves, curling them in rich, light 
brown bunches that make lovely bits of color 
in the winter landscape. 
The leaves of all the beeches are set al- 
ternately along the branches, in level, flat 
sprays, and are noticeably straight veined. 
They are the thinnest, I think, of all forest 
tree leaves, and possess a rare translucent 
quality which is the glory of the tree in spring. 
As the season advances they become a little 
thicker, considerably so in the case of the 
European type, thus affording deeper shade, 
which is a strong point in favor of the foreign 
species. 
The flowers are produced in spring, with 
58 
SUGGESTIONS 
FOR THEIR PLANTING 
the foliage. The sterile, or pollen-bearing, 
flowers are in the axils of the lower leaves. 
The fertile, or fruit-bearing, flowers occur in 
the axils of the uppermost leaves. The 
fruit is a burr, bristling with abundant 
prickles, and when ripe, splits to the base in 
four valves, setting free the two sweet, tri- 
angular, shiny brown nuts, each about a half- 
inch long. ‘The flavor of the nut is delicious. 
The husk often remains clinging on the tree 
all through the winter. ‘There is one, and 
only one, ground for objection to planting a 
beech, and that is its tendency to develop 
suckers. 
The beeches are easily separated from all 
other trees when out of leaf, by reason of 
their characteristic buds. These are about 
an inch long, slender and spindle shaped, 
of a chestnut brown color, polished. 
All the cultivated beeches are of two 
species, the American (Fagus ferruginea), 
and the European (f. sylvatica); as purely 
