B E T U L A. 
936 
known ;it firfl fight, by the filvery colour of its bark, or 
rather epidermis, or outer thin covering to the bark ; the 
fmallnefs of the leaves in comparifon with otiier timber 
trees ; and the lightnefs and airinefs of the whole appear¬ 
ance. It is of a middling or rather inferior fize among 
other fore ft trees. Branches alternate, fubdivided, very 
pliant and flexible, covered with a reddifh brown or rullet 
Imooth bark, generally dotted with white. I.eaves alter¬ 
nate, bright green, fmooth, ihining beneath, with the veins 
crofting like the melhes of a net. Native of Europe, from 
Lapland to the fubalpine parts of Italy ; and of Alia, chief¬ 
ly in mountainous fituations; flowering with us in April 
and May. 
There is a remarkable variety mentioned in the fupple- 
ment of the younger Linnaeus, to be found in Dalecarlia ; 
deferibed to have leaves almoft palmate, with the fegments 
toothed. Other varieties, of a trifling nature, being chiefly 
flight differences in the Ihape of the leaves, are given by 
Linnaeus, in his Flora Suecica, from Linder. The molt 
common names of the birch-tree are, in Latin, betula or 
betulla ; in German, birke ; in Dutch, berk ; in Daniff) and 
Scotch, birk ; in Swedilh, bi'drk or b 'ork ; in French, bouleau ; 
in Italian, betulla, maio, or maiclla-, in Spanifh, cl abedul, la 
betulla ; in Portuguefe, betula, betulla ; in RuIlian, bereja ; 
in Polift), brzoza. 
The wood of our birch is very white ; women’s ftioe- 
lieels and pattens, and packing-cafes, are made of it. It is 
planted along with hafel, to make charcoal for forges. In 
the northern parts of Lancaftiire they make a great quan¬ 
tity of befoms with the twigs for exportation. The bark 
is of great ufe in dying wool yellow, and particularly in 
fixing fugacious colours. For this purpole it is beft to ufe 
it dry, and to dilbark trees of eighteen or twenty years 
growth, at the time when the fap is flowing. The trees 
fhould (land, and be cut down the following Winter.* The 
black Ajnerican birch may be applied equally well to the 
fame pttrpofe. The highlanders of Scotland ufe the bark 
for tanning leather, and for making ropes; and fometimes 
they burn the outer rind inftead of candles. With the 
fragments dexteroufty braided, the Laplanders make them- 
felves fhoes and balkets ; they ufe large thick pieces fet 
out, with a hole in the middle to fit the neck, for a fur- 
tout to keep off the rain. The Ruffians, Poles, and Nor¬ 
wegians, cover their houfes with it, laying turf three or 
four.inches thick over. In Kamtfchatka they make hats 
and drinking-cups of it. The wood was formerly ufed by 
the Scotch highlanders for their arrows ; but now, by the 
■wheelwright, and for moft ruftic implements ; by the tur¬ 
ner, for trenchers, bow ls, ladles, See. and when of a pro¬ 
per fize it will make tolerable gates, rails, Sec. In France 
it is' generally ufed for wooden lhoes. It affords good fuel, 
fome of the beft charcoal; and the foot is a good lamp¬ 
black for printer’s ink. The fmall branches ferve the 
highlanders for hurdles, and fide fences to their houfes. 
Moxa is made of the yellow fungous excrefcences of the 
wood, which fometimes fwell out from the Allures. The 
'leaves afford good fodder to horfes, kine, (beep, and goats. 
The feeds are the favourite food of the fifkin or aberde¬ 
vine; and this tree furnifties food to a variety of infedts. 
The vernal fap of the birch-tree is well known to have a 
faccharine quality, and to make a wholefome diuretic wine. 
In the beginning of March, while the fap is rifing, and 
before the leaves ftioot out, bore holes in the bodies of the 
larger trees, and put foffets therein made of elder-fticks 
with the pith taken out, fetting velfels under to receive 
the liquor. If the tree be large, you may tap it in four 
or five places at a time; and thus from feveral trees you 
may draw feveral gallons of juice in a day. If you do not 
get enough in-one day, bottle up clofe what you have, 
til! you get fufficient for your purpofe, but the fooner it 
is boiled the better. Boil the fap as long as any feum 
rifes, Ikimming it ail the time. To every gallon of liquor 
put four pounds of fugar, and boil it afterwards half an 
hour, fkimrning it well; then put it into an open tub to 
tool, and when cold tun it into the calk ; when it has done 
working, bung it up clofe, and keep it three months; their 
either bottle it off, or draw it out of the calk when it is a 
year old. 
“ The birch,” fays our ancient Gerard, “ ferveth well 
to the decking up of houfes and banquetring-rooms, and 
for beautifying of ftreets in the erode or gangweek, and 
fitch like.” If this tree ferves fuch purpofes no longer,: 
it deferves however to be planted in parks and on amenta! 
woods, to increafe the variety ; and its fragrant fmell af¬ 
ter rain juftly entitles it to a place in the wildernefs. The 
ftem being ftraight, the bark fmooth and white, and the 
foliage neat, the birch has a pidturefque appearance when 
properly placed in ornamental plantations ; either in the 
openings here and there, to fhew the foliage and hanging 
down of the twigs, or within to difplay its filvery bark 
through the gloom. But from what has been laid, the 
birch, though in the lowed efteem as a timber-tree, may 
yet deferve to be cultivated, not merely as an ornament, 
but for its various ufes; efpecially fince it will grow to 
advantage upon barren land, where better trees will not 
thrive: it will flourifh in moift fpringy land, or in dry gra¬ 
vel and fand, where there is little fur face: upon ground 
which produced nothing but mol's, thefe trees have fuc- 
ceeded fo well as to be fit to cut in ten years after plant¬ 
ing, when they have been fold for near ten pounds the acre 
Handing, and the after-produce has been confiderably in- 
creafed; and, as the woods near London have been grubbed 
up, the value of thefe plantations has advanced in propor¬ 
tion : therefore thofe perfons who are pbffeff'ed of fuch 
poor land cannot employ it better than by planting it 
with thefe trees, efpecially as the expence of. doing it is 
not great. 
2. Betula nigra,' or black Virginia birch-tree : leaves- 
rhomb-ovate, acute, doubly ferrate, pubefeent-underneath, 
entire at the bafe; fcales.of the ftrobiles villofe, fegments 
linear, equal. The black Virginia birch has the lalrger 
ferratures of the leaves deeper and more remote, and be- 
fides thefe it has very fine, fmall, crowded, ones ; the bafe 
from an obtufe angle is quite entire ; the leaves alfo are 
broader, and grow on longer petioles. It arrives at a much 
greater fize, for it grows upwards of fixty feet in height, and 
is equally hardy with the European white birch. It has been 
hitherto propagated chiefly for ornamental plantations; 
but it is to be hoped that it will be admitted alfo among 
our foreft trees. There are feveral varieties of this fpecies, 
as, x. Broad-leaved Virginian birch. 2. Poplar-leaved 
Virginian birch. 3. Paper birch. 4. Brown birch. &c. 
3. Betula lenta, or Canada birch : leaves cordate, ob¬ 
long, acuminate, ferrate. The leaves of the Canada birch 
are fmooth, very finely and fharply ferrate. The female 
catkins are ovate, feffile, with acuminate, entire, feales. 
It grows fixty feet and more in height. The liquor flow¬ 
ing from its wounds is ufed by the inhabitants of Kamtf¬ 
chatka without previous fermentation; with the wood they 
build fledges and canoes; and they convert the bark into 
food by dripping it off when green, and cutting it into 
long narrow pieces, like vermicelli, drying it, and fteyving 
it with their caviar. Of this there are feveral varieties. 
4. Betula nana, or fmooth dwarf birch : leaves orbicti- 
late, crenate. The European dwarf birch is an upright 
ffirub, feldom above two or three feet high. Trunk hard 
and ffiff, with a roughifh bark like that of the elm, of a 
ruflet orblackiff) purple colour. Branches ffender, fpread- 
ing, ffraight, fcattered, tapering, woolly, fomewhat gummy 
at the ends. Leaves commonly three from each bud, but 1 
frequently fingle and alternate^ rather more in breadth than 
length, having from ten to fourteen notches about the 
edge, entire at the bafe, fmooth, gloffy, veined on both 
fides. Native of the northern parts of Europe ; ffowering 
in May. Miller fays, it is preferved in fome curious gar¬ 
dens for the fake of variety, but it is of no ufe here. It 
is however of fignal ufe in the oeconomy of the Laplanders. 
The branches furnifh them with their bed and their chief 
fuel; and the feeds are the food of the ptarmigan, which 
makes a confiderable part of their fuftenance. The moxa 
