ALDER. 2H 
the river Volga constructor it portable boats, cradles, <Src. 
It is serviceable in dyeing a yellow colour. In Norway 
it is dried, ground, mixed with meal, and boiled with 
other food for swine. Houses or huts, in many parts of 
the north of Europe, are covered with the outward and 
thicker part of the bark, instead of slates, or tiles. It 
is spun into a coarse kind of rope, woven into shoes 
and hats ; and, in Kamschatka, even made into drink- 
ing cups. The Laplanders fasten together large pieces 
of it as outer garments to keep off the rain. Abound- 
ing with much resinous matter, slices of the bark are 
sometimes twisted together to make torches. During 
a scarcity of corn the bark of the birch-tree has. in 
several instances, been ground with bread corn, and 
successfully used as food by mankind. 
In most parts of England the twigs of this tree are 
made into besoms. They are also made into the tops of 
fishing rods; and, when smeared with bird-lime (56), 
are used by bird-catchers. The Norwegians frequently 
employ them as fodder for their horses. The leaves 
afford a yellow dye. 
A wholesome wine is made from the sap or juice of 
the birch-tree. The juice is obtained by boring holes 
in the trunks of the trees, about the beginning of 
March, before the leaves appear. Into each of these 
holes a piece of elder stick, hollowed through the 
middle, by clearing out the pith, is placed. This con- 
ducts the juice, as it flows from the wound, into a ves- 
sel put to receive it. If a tree be large, it may be 
tapped in four or five places at once ; and, from several 
trees, many gallons of juice may be obtained in a day. 
The juice thus procured is to be boiled with sugar, in 
the proportion of four pounds to a gallon, and treated 
in the same manner as other, made wines. A good spi- 
rit might no doubt be obtained from the juice of the 
birch-tree by distillation, 
229. The ALDER, or OWLER (Betula alnus, Fig. 03), 
is a tree which grows in wet situations, and is distinguished by 
its Jlotecr-stalks being branched, and its leaves being roundish, 
