552. This is the common beech of our country, which is also a native of most of the temperate parts of Europe from Norway to the Mediterranean, and is said to be plentiful in the southern parts of Russia. It is found in considerable quantities throughout Great Britain, particularly in the southern and midland parts of England where the soil is of a chalky description.* Being a hardy tree it will grow, however, in almost any situation where the soil is good and dry.

In localities favourable to its growth, the beech often attains a large size. In parts of England and Scotland trees are to be found as much as 100 feet high, and 4 to 6 feet diameter, at about 5 feet from the ground. According to Hassenfratz the mean size of the trunk is about 44 feet in length and 27 inches in diameter.

The wood of the beech grown on dry and suitable soils is whiter than that grown in damp valleys; in the latter case it loses its strength in drying and becomes brittle.

Beech soon decays in damp situations, but is more durable when kept in a dry state; in either case it is very liable to be destroyed by worms.

It is very durable, however, when constantly immersed in water. Duhamel observes that water-seasoned beech is much less subject to worms than that seasoned in the ordinary way; and Ellis says, to preserve it from worms, it ought to be cut about a fortnight after Midsummer, and planked immediately; then the planks should be put in water for about ten days and afterwards dried.

Beech is not useful in building, because of its rotting so soon in damp situations, but it is very useful for piles where it will be constantly wet; or for the knees and planking of vessels for which the clear straight stems render it well adapted.

It is used in the manufacture of various tools, for which its uniform texture and hardness render it superior to any other wood, In England a great proportion of common furniture, such as chairs, tables, bedsteads, which are usually either stained to imitate mahogany, or painted in imitation of rosewood and other foreign woods, is made of beech. It is also used for the panels of carriages, and for a variety of other purposes. Before the introduction of iron, beech was much used instead of rails on the tramways to the collieries about Newcastle, and in other parts of the country.

* Marshall's ' Southern Counties,' vol. ii.

The colour of beech is a whitish brown, of different shades: the darker kind is called brown, and sometimes black beech; the lighter kind is called white beech. The texture is very uniform; the larger medullary rays are finer and do not extend so far in the length of the wood as in oak, therefore the flowered appearance of the grain is smaller.

The annual rings are rendered visible only by being a little darker on one side than the other. It is uniformly porous, and is easily impregnated, as in Boucherie's process (Art. 502), with substances to prevent its decay. The line of separation between the heart and sap-wood is not so distinct as in oak and other timber where the heart-wood is always of a deeper colour than the exterior or sap-wood.

Beech has no sensible taste or smell; it is not very difficult to work, and may be brought to a very smooth surface.

The white kind is the hardest, but the black is tougher; and Evelyn says it is more durable than the white.

Beech is subject to a disease called the "white dote" by workmen, consisting of white spongy veins, which takes place in healthy timber very shortly after the tree has been felled, owing to the alternations of wet and dry: this disease absorbs the moisture of the log, and in time will render the timber quite unserviceable.

The timber possesses a caustic juice, which, according to Mr. Fincham, is very injurious to metallic fastenings, as those in beech plank on the bottoms of ships have been found nearly destroyed.*

* ' Outline of Ship-building.'

The cohesive force of a square inch of beech varies from 6070 to 17,000 lbs.; the weight of its modulus of elasticity is about 1,316,000 lbs.; the weight of a cubic foot dry varies from 43 to 53 lbs. The higher numbers are from Muschen-broek, both in cohesivo force and weight, and they are certainly much above any observed by the author, or those of any other writer: about 11,500 lbs. is its mean cohesive force.

Strength of beech.......

103

oak being = 100.

Stiffiness..................

77

Toughness...............

138

Hence it appears that oak is superior in stiffness, but neither so strong nor so tough.

553. In North America two species of the beech are common - the White (F. sylvestris), and the Red (F. ferrugina). The tree of the white beech is more slender and less branching than that of the red; but according to Michaux its foliage and general appearance is magnificent. The perfect wood of this species bears a small proportion to the sap, and frequently occupies only 3 inches in a trunk 18 inches in diameter. It is therefore of little use except for fuel.

The red beech, which is almost exclusively confined to the north-eastern parts of the United States, and to the provinces of Canada, New Brunswick, and Nova Scotia, bears a close resemblance to the common European species (F. sylvatica). The wood is stronger, tougher, and more compact than that of the white kind, but it is so liable to the attacks of insects that its use in domestic furniture is rare. It is, however, very durable when constantly immersed in water.