RED BEECH. 
13 
[Soil, Propagation , Sfc. Michaux has mentioned above the soil best 
suited to the Beechi It will thrive in elevated situations, but is not found 
at so great a height as the Sycamore, or even the Gale. The species is 
universally propagated by the seed, and the varieties, of which the Copper 
presents a most pleasing one for ornamental planting, by budding, grafting, 
or inarching. Shake the nuts from the tree as they ripen, dry them in 
the sun, or in an airy shed or loft, after which they may be mixed with 
sand that is ^perfectly dry, at the rate of three bushels of sand to one of 
mast, which only retains its vital properties for one year. Sow the seeds 
one -inch apart in March in a light rich soil and cover them about one inch ; 
the tender young plants will appear in May, when if the season is dry 
they should be moderately watered. In March, next season, with a spade 
made very sharp for the purpose, undermine the roots and cut them be- 
tween 4 or 5 inches under ground. After the plants have stood two years, 
or if, in poor soil, three years, they may be transplanted in lines 2 feet 
asunder, and in three or four years they may be removed into a general 
plantation. At their removal they must not be pruned at all, but when 
once established they may be pruned at pleasure. 
Our author is in error in undervaluing the wood of the Beech wood as 
fuel ; comparing it with hickory, Bull found it to be as Jo 5 to 100 ; its 
ashes furnish a great quantity of potash. The Beech forms a good screen 
against wind, and its leaves are strongly recommended by European writers 
for filling beds, which last longer than those filled with straw.] 
RED BEECH. 
Fagus ferrugiiîea. F. foliis ovato-acuminatis , grosse dentatis ; nuces duce 
triquetræ , calyce echinato , coriaeeo, quadrijido, inclusœ. 
This species of Beech is almost exclusively confined to the north-eastern 
parts of the United States, and to the provinces of Canada, Hew Bruns- 
wick and Nova Scotia. In the District of Maine and in the States of Hew 
Hampshire and Vermont, it is so abundant as often to constitute extensive 
forests, the finest of which grow on fertile, level or gently sloping lands, 
