Park and cemetery. 
247 
BEECH TREES. 
Of the many varieties of beech in cultivation 
all may be said to belong to the English Fagus 
sylvatica. Our native kind, F. ferruginea, has no 
varieties that I am aware of. The English and our 
native beech really comprise nearly all the beeches 
known. There are two species from Terra del 
Fuego and one from Chili, the latter hardy in 
England but none of these are much known in 
cultivation. 
Thetwa types, the English and the American, 
when they fall to the ground. The native kind 
holds its foliage all winter to a less extent. This 
character of holding its foliage has made its useful- 
ness for wind-breaks apparent, and it is quite com- 
mon to see it u.^ed in situations where its shelter- 
ing properties are valuable. 
There are several varieties of the European 
beech in cultivation, the most valued being the 
blood-leaved, weeping, cut-leaved and fern-leaved. 
The first of these, the blood-leaved, is a unl\-ersal 
favorite because of its deep red leaves in spring. 
F.\Gcs svi.vatica; v.\r. I’DRi’CRE.r.. (Blood leaved Beech. ) 
The leaves are fairly dark as they unfold but as 
though often sooken of in libraries and other 
works as being very nearly alike, are not in the 
least like one another. The newest hand in a 
nursery can tell them apart easily, leaves, growth 
and wood being quite different. The larger, less 
shining leaves and less lusty growth characterizes 
the native species in the summer season. In the 
fall the leaves turn brown at the time those of most 
other trees do, and when they fall the very light- 
colored bark is displayed. 
The European beech makes a quite twiggy 
growth. Its leaves are of a shining green and 
these remain green very late in the season. When 
they do decay they rarely fall off at the time, but 
remain on the tree until the sap rises in the spring. 
they get toward full growth the color deepens until 
about six weeks ha\'e elapsed when they are almost 
black. Soon after this the leaves are gradually less 
dark but till the end of the season there is a pur- 
plish copper colored hue which exactly fits many a 
place in the lawn. 
Strangely enough, because the parent is such a 
twiggy grower, this variety is not at all bushy 
when young and gives no promise then of the 
beautiful form it acquires as it gets some age. 
The beautiful specimen illustrated, which is 
growing near Horticultural Hall, Fairmount park, 
Philadelphia, well represents the tree as usually 
seen when of that size. And this gives the oppor- 
