112 



PKACTICAL FORESTRY. 



paper-like bark, readily peeling horizontally in thin sheets. 

 Wood very white, firm, close-grained, easily polished ; exten- 

 sively used in the manufacture of spools, shoe-pegs, and other 

 similar purposes. In Eussia the oil from White Birch is said to 

 be used to give to Russia leather the peculiar aromatic and 

 lasting qualities, and when dissolved in alcohol is said to be ex- 

 cellent for preserving and water-proofing various fabrics. A 

 small, rather slender tree thirty or more feet high, growing in 

 poor, sandy, and gravelly soil, also in cold, moist soils near 

 ponds, swamps, and along the banks of streams. Common al- 

 most anywhere in the Northern States and Canadas, and also 

 along the mountains southward. 



B. papyracea. — Paper or Canoe Birch. — Closely alhed to the 

 White Birch, but a much larger tree. Leaves ovate or heart- 

 shaped, dark-green on the upper side. The bark papery and 

 readily separated into large sheets impervious to water, hence 

 its extensive use by the Indians for making tents, baskets, 

 canoes, and various domestic utensils. Wood white, compact, 

 hard, making excellent fuel, and is also used for the same pur- 

 poses as the White Birch. Extensively exported from the New 

 England States and Canada. Common throughout British 

 America, the Northern States, and westward to Dakota. 



B. lenta. — Black Bhch, Sweet Birch, Mahogany Birch, Cherry 

 Birch. — Leaves oblong-ovate and somewhat heart-shaped, 

 finely and doubly serrate. Bark dark-brown, close, not peeling 

 readily ; very aromatic. Wood of a reddish color, fine grained, 

 compact, excellent for cabinet work and fuel. A large tree 

 fifty to sixty feet high, with stem two feet in diameter. 

 Throughout the Northern States and Canadas, in moist soils, 

 and southward to Georgia in the mountains, A valuable tree 

 for planting in moist soils in cold climates. 



B. lutoa. — ^Yellow Birch, Gray Bhch. — Leaves of a dull green 

 color, oblong-ovate, rarely heart-shaped. Bark less aromatic, 

 and of a grayish color, separating in very thin layers. Wood 

 similar to that of the Black Birch, but can be obtained of a 

 larger size, for the Yellow Birch is said to be the largest decid- 

 uous tree found north of the Great Lakes, growing seventy to 

 eighty feet high, with a stem three to four feet in diameter. 

 From Newfoundland to Dakota, Manitoba, and southward in 

 the mountains of North Carolina. A valuable forest tree, and 

 worthy of extensive cultivation in the Northern States. 



