"Who chose the last tree?" called Elena, during the silence that followed upon the little lecture.
"Nita found a Christmas tree," replied Jane.
"That is a pine tree of the family of abies . Spruce, fir, pine, and others all come under the family name. You will always see a pine tree grow straight up, unless some obstacle turns aside its natural tendency. The pine wood is composed of cells that are filled with piney sap. It is a long-lived tree, there being on record pine trees that are 2,000 years old a report says some pines in the Holy Land have been found that register an age of 3,000 years. The timber of pine trees is very useful for hardwood building purposes and the sap is used for the manufacture of turpentines, oils and resins. The limbs grow on an almost horizontal line from the tree and the offshoots of the limbs follow the same strange line. The greens form in a flat shape almost like a fan, and when young and tender make the best of camp beds. When a tree is utterly decayed the wood forms pitch and tar."
"And in December, the tree is in great demand by all children for decorative purposes!" added Zan, as Miss Miller finished her discourse.
"Yes, I find I always forget the most important item, or at least Zan thinks so," laughed the Guide.
"My! I never knew so much about wood in my life!" exclaimed Elena.
"Trees, my dear! don't call these magnificent tall giants by so common a name as wood!" corrected Zan.
"I guess there aren't any other varieties in these woods," ventured Nita, looking about for a new species.
"Oh, yes, there are. I have seen a dozen more in a short walk," replied Miss Miller.
"Here's a kind we haven't had. I don't know what it is, though," said Jane.
"That is a birch tree. Haven't you ever chewed birch bark?" said Zan, disdainfully, at Jane's ignorance of a birch.
"I've tasted birch beer but I don't like it!" said she.
"Birch flavour is used in soda water, candy, and soft drinks of all kinds. It is also in great demand for flavouring obnoxious medicines as it disguises the disagreeable taste," said Miss Miller, adding, "Who can describe the birch tree?"
"I don't believe any of us can; I was the only one that knew what sort of a tree it was, and that is all I can tell," admitted Zan reluctantly.
"The Latin for birch is "betula." Its flowers grow in catkins and bud in early spring. The tree is often as high as seventy feet. The wood is highly prized by cabinet makers. The bark is so durable that it has been found intact after the tree has decayed. Often a woodsman will come across a birch that seems to be newly fallen. He will strike in with his axe to ascertain the value of the timber and the bark will split showing a hollow inside, or at least a mass of decayed wood. The bark is very useful for the building of canoes, dishes, wooden utilities, and even hats.
"The mahogany birch grows in New York, New Jersey, and Pennsylvania, to the height of seventy to eighty feet and is two to three feet thick. In spring the rich green leaves of this tree are covered with a thick down almost like hoar frost. It is beautiful at this season. Later, this down disappears and the leaves remain a bright green. They are oval shaped, and pointed at ends. The timber of the mahogany birch is a hard close-grain and of a reddish brown colour."
"Mother just got a new chamber suite of furniture that she bought for mahogany and told all of her friends at the bridge club about her magnificent mahogany furniture for her guest-chamber. When the club met at our house she took the ladies in to show off the furniture. Mrs. Dewitt said, "Why, my poor dear Mrs. Brampton, you were cheated if you bought this for mahogany!" My mother got awful mad at first, then another lady told her the wood was stained mahogany and was known as mahogany birch. Mother sent it right back the next day and said she would never trade at that place again. But the man tried to explain that the furniture was called mahogany, and at the price she should have known that it was birch. Now I will know how to tell the difference between birch and real mahogany, won't I?" said Nita eagerly.
"Yes, but I trust you will be able to use your knowledge for a better purpose than just discriminating in furniture. The simpler your furniture the less mental work you will need to think of it. That gives your thoughts so much more time for happier work and ideas," replied Miss Miller.
"I see a tree over in that little dell that looks as if it had nuts growing on it," said Hilda.
"I guess it has, for it is a beech tree," replied the Guide. "Can you describe any of its points?"
"We have gathered beech-nuts every year, Miss Miller, and Mrs. Sherwood and mother have pickled them. Umph! but they taste good in winter!" said Zan.
"I have never tasted them but I have heard of the delicious flavour when eaten with cold meats," replied Miss Miller.
"I can tell a beech from another tree by its leaves, but I don't know any of its growing points," added Zan.