82 
House & Garden 
Lighting Fixtures 
The ultimate in distinctiveness of design, construc¬ 
tion and quality of finish is reached in these MILLER 
fixtures—the very newest goods, and shown here for 
the first time. Note the exceptionally low prices for 
goods of this quality: West of 
Rockies 
No. 75, 5-light Fixture, Old Brass and Black, $33.25 $35.75 
Silver and Black 39.00 42.40 
No. 715, 2-light Bracket, Old Brass and Black, 14.00 15.00 
(to match No. 75) Silver and Black 16.80 17.80 
(Prices do not include bulbs or installation) 
Write for booklet showing the newest designs, and name of 
nearest MILLER Distributor. 
EDWARD MILLER & CO. 
Established 1844 
Meriden, Conn. 
68 and 70 Park PL, New York 125 Pearl Street, Boston 
London, England: 116 Charing Cross Road, W. C. 2. 
Our American Birches 
(Continued from page 56) 
slowly under such conditions. It also the sweet birch because of the aromatic 
serves as a mantle of green to hide an sweetness of the young twigs. The 
ugly scar on Nature’s face. bark, when young, is fairly smooth 
The bark of this tree is a dull chalky but as it grows older and the trunk 
white, not easily separated from the increases in size, the bark begins to 
trunk, and is marked with dark lines peel off transversely in long thin strips 
and dots. Often the small branches are and finally it becomes scarred with 
black or dark red and marked with irregular scales which gives it a dis- 
dots. The leaves are smooth and var- tinguished and venerable appearance, 
nished in appearance so that they re- The black birch thrives best on damp 
fleet and intensify the light. They are hillsides, or in places where it can ob- 
hung on long slender petioles so that tain a moderate supply of moisture, 
even the slightest breeze sets them a- It is a widely distributed species, being 
dancing and the tree seems ever in mo- found from Nova Scotia south along 
tion and gives a dash of life to an the mountains to Georgia, and often 
otherwise quiet scene, snapping it out as far west as Minnesota. It com- 
of lethargy. Lowell has written of it: monly grows as high as 80' and de¬ 
velops into a wide symmetrical headed 
“Thy shadow scarce seems shade, thy tree, which is very attractive. It is 
pattering leaflets especially attractive in the early Spring, 
Sprinkle their gathered sunshine o’er when the leafless branches are hung 
my senses with myriads of long yellow catkins! 
And Nature gives me all her summer like so many golden tassels fluttering in 
confidences.” the breeze. 
There is a western species of the 
Another of the family, which is black birch which is called fontinalis. 
often confused with the gray birch, is It is found in the mountain canons 
the white birch (Betula alba var. papy- and while it is very attractive, it is 
rifera), or as it is called by others, the not a large tree for it rarely grows as 
paper birch, or the canoe birch. This high as 40'. 
tree has a slender pure white trunk One of the most abundant trees in 
which sometimes attains a height of 90'. the hard wood forests of Canada and 
The tree is not as abundant as the New England is the yellow birch 
gray birch but it has a large range of (Betula lutea). It usually grows as 
growth, being found from Newfound- high as 100' and it is an important 
land to Alaska and as far south as the item in the source of lumber, paper 
State of Washington, eastward to New pulp, and fuel. The tree is wide spread 
i York City. It is essentially a northern from Newfoundland south to Delaware 
tree, and, where it is found most and along the mountains to Tennessee, 
abundantly, it is used as a source for It is essentially a northern tree, for here 
paper pulp. The Indian made use of it attains its greatest height and most 
the fact that its bark peels off in large beautiful development, 
layers, and made admirable material The young tree has a beautiful 
for canoes. Longfellow in his tale of smooth bark which is a silver or golden 
Hiawatha sings: gray. As the tree increases in size, 
however, this smoothness disappears 
“Give me of thy bark O Birch tree .... for the bark breaks and rolls back in 
.... I a light canoe will build me.” long ribbon-like curls, which are per¬ 
sistent and rustle in the wind. 
As a tree for landscape planting it There are several reasons why this is 
has many possibilities, for not only is a valuable tree in landscape work, 
it attractive with its slender column of First, it develops into a well rounded 
white, but it has a beautiful and pictur- tree with pendulous branches. Second, 
esque habit of drooping twigs of hand- it has an unusual and interesting color 
some foliage. tone in its bark and branches. Again, 
The red birch (Betula nigra) is hap- it is very easy to transplant and thrives 
pily called the river birch because it well if given sufficient moisture. And 
prefers the rich slopes and bottom lands last, but by no means the least of its 
of rivers and little streams. This is the several virtues, is the fact that it is 
southern variety and it rarely attains very hardy, and seldom is attacked by 
a height greater than 90' except in the insect or fungus enemies, 
south. It is very abundant in the New There is a birch found in the north- 
England states, "but rarely as far north ern New England states which is said 
as Canada. The tree develops into a by some authorities to be the western 
round irregular headed tree which is representative of the European weep- 
very picturesque. It has a bark when ing birch. It has been given the name 
young which is a lustrous reddish of blue birch (Betula coerulea) and al- 
brown, but as it grows older it peels though it is not very common it is 
into papery scales in varying shades of interesting and worthy of as much at- 
red and brown. These fluttering in the tention as many imported plants, 
wind make a charming variation. In Then there are one or two more of the 
landscape compositions this tree is family which are native. Although not 
valuable for its long graceful branches as common as the ones named above 
which overhang the water and almost they have interesting characteristics 
sweep it with its graceful foliage. And and possibilities. Three are varieties 
not only for this reason, but because of the white birch and are almost 
it has a very fibrous root system which Alpine in character for they prefer the 
serves to hold in place the soil which cool woods of the north and do not 
might otherwise be washed away when attain great size. They are Betula alba 
the stream was high. It is also a rapid var. cordifolia; var. minor and var. 
growing tree, and easy to transplant. glutinosa. We also have a swamp va- 
It is unfortunate that the river birch riety which is found as far south as 
should be called nigra, inasmuch as we New Jersey. This is Betula pumila, 
have a black birch (Betula lenta). and thrives from Labrador to Dela- 
However, this tree is more fortunate ware, and as far west as Minnesota, 
in its common names, of which it has And there is still another dwarf va- 
several. It is the black birch because riety which grows in the mountains of 
it has such a dark colored bark. It is New Hampshire and the more Arctic 
the cherry birch because it resembles regions of Canada, called Betula 
so closely the native wild cherry. It is glandulosa. 
