14 
RED BEECH. 
which are proper for the culture of corn. Its name is derived from the 
color of its wood and not of its leaves, as might be supposed in Europe, 
where a species, with dull red and sometimes with purple foliage, is culti- 
vated in the gardens. 
The Red Beech bears a greater resemblance to that of Europe than to 
the kindred American species : it equals the White Beech in diameter, but 
not in height ; and as it ramifies nearer the earth, and is more numerously 
divided, it has a more massive summit and the appearance off more tufted 
foliage. Its leaves are equally brilliant, a little larger and thicker, and 
have longer teeth. Its fruit is of the same form, but is only half as large, 
and is garnished with firmer and less numerous points. To these differ- 
ences must be added a more important one in the wood: a Red Beech 15 
or 18 inches in diameter consists of 3 or 4 inches of sap and 13 or 14 
inches of heart, the inverse of which' proportion is found in the White 
Beech. 
The wood of the Red Beech is stronger, tougher and more compact. 
In the District of Maine and in British America, where the Oaks are rare, 
it is employed with the Sugar Maple and Yellow Birch for the lower part 
of the frame of vessels. As it is extremely liable to injury from worms, 
and speedily decays when exposed to alternate dryness and moisture, it is 
rarely used in the construction of houses. In the District of Maine the 
Hickories are rare and the White Oak does not exist, and when the Yel- 
low Birch and Black Ash cannot be procured in sufficient abundance, the 
Red Beech is selected for hoops. 
This wood is brought to Boston for fuel, but it is less esteemed and is 
sold at a lower price than the Sugar Maple. It serves for shoe-lasts and 
the handles of tools, -and is especially proper for the tops of cards, because, 
when perfectly seasoned, it is not liable to wai'p. It is brought from the 
river Hudson to Philadelphia for the same uses. I have been informed by 
mechanics in that city, employed in making plane-handles of the Red 
Beech, that it is sometimes equal, though usually inferior, in compactness 
and solidity, to the European Beech. 
Red Beech planks about 3 inches thick are exported to Great Britain, 
for purposes which I am unable to particularize ; but whatever may be the 
consumption, the' American forests are extensive enough to supply for a 
long time the demands of commerce. 
The European Beech bears so strict an analogy to the Red Beech, that 
it may be useful to take notice of its properties, its uses, and the means 
by which its duration is insured in important structures. 
Experience has demonstrated the advantage of felling the Beech in the 
summer, while the sap is in full circulation : cut at this season, it is very 
durable, but felled in the winter, it decays in a few years. The logs are 
left several months in the shade before they are hewn, care being taken 
