186 
THE CANADIAN NATURALIST 
giniana) abundant on those barren places in the pastures 
and grass fields^, which will scarcely bear any grass. They 
seem almost confined to such places : probably where the 
grass is luxuriant, it chokes them out. 
jF. — Here is the tardy Beech ( Fagus Ferruginea ) just 
beginning to open its leaf buds. This^ and the brown ash 
usually contend which shall be the latest in leafing. The 
red beech is probably the most beautiful tree we have ; its 
bark is remarkably smooth^ of a pale blue colour, often 
marbled with large spots of white. Its leaves are of a 
graceful shape, of a deep glossy green ; its general outline, 
when growing in a clearing, is often very round, and always 
beautiful, its lower branches spreading horizontally; and 
its foliage possesses that rich and massy character, common 
to the maple. It has the singular property of retaining a 
great portion of its leaves all through the winter, though 
they are sere and dry, as the leaves of other deciduous trees. 
The roots spread out to a great distance on the surface of the 
earth, and are generally very tangled and contorted ; they 
often begin to diverge from the trunk some distance above 
the ground. In the forest, in which the beech holds a pro- 
minent place, the trunk is tall and straight, with a wide and 
branchy top : its twigs are slender, and minutely ramified : 
its buds are spindle-shaped, and long; and become much 
longer when they approach their expansion. The perules 
are coriaceous and tough, but thin, and are lined with a 
silky down. The leaves do not acquire their glossy appear- 
ance for a considerable time. 
C. — What are the uses to which the wood of the beech 
is applied? 
F. — It is a hard, close-grained, and firm wood, and is 
used for carpenters' tools, brushes, and many other small 
articles ; but the chief use we make of it is as fuel : a prin- 
cipal part of the firewood used in this country is beech, as it 
