The Elk County advocate. [volume] (Ridgway, Pa.) 1868-1883, 1881-06-30
A Taste of Maine Birch.

The traveller and camper-out in Maine,
unless he penetrates its more northern
portion, has less reason to remember it
as O pine-tree State than birch tree
State. The white-pine forests have
melted away like snow in the spring and
gone down stream, leaving only patches
here and there in the more remote and
inaccessible parts. The portion of the
State saw, the Valley OF the Kenebec
and the woods about Moxie lake, had
been shorn of its pine timber more than
forty years before, and is now covered
with q thick growth of spruce and cedar,
and various deciduous trees. But the
birch abounds. Indeed, when the pine
goes out the birch comes in; the race of
men succeeds the race of giants. This
tree has great stay-at-home virtues. Let
the somber, aspiring, mysterious pine
60; the birch has humble everyday uses.
In Maine the paper or canoe birch is
turned to more account than any other
! tree. Uncle Nathan, our guide, said it
was made especially for the camper out;
yes, and for the woodmen and frontiers
men generally. 1t is magazine, o fur
nishing store set up in the wilderness,
whose goods are free to every conner.
| luG NuOl6 Vi Illo llcb
folded in it, and comes forth at the beck
of the woodman's ak tent, waterproof
roof, boat, camp utensils, baskets, cups,
plates, spoons, napkins, table cloths,
paper for letters or your journal, torches,
candles, kindling wood and fuel. The
canoe-birch yields you its vestments
with the utmost liberality. Ask for it's
coat and it gives you its waistcoat also.
It's bark seems wrapped about it layer
upon layer, and comes off with great
ease. We saw many rude structures
and cabins shingled and sided with it,
and haystacks capped with it. Near
maple sugar camp there was
large pile of birch bark sap
buckets each bucket made of a
! piece of bark about yard square,
folded up as the tinman folds up sheet
: of tin to make square vessel, the cor
, ner bent around against the sides and
held by wooden pin. When, one day,
we were overtaken by a shower in trav-
cling through the woods, our guide
: quickly stripped large sheets of the
bark from a near tree. and we had each
3 perfect umbrella as by magic. When
, the rain was over, and we moved on, ]
a wrapped mine about me like large
: leather apron, and it shielded my clothes
, from the wet bushes. When we came tC
g q spring Uncle Nathan would have 6
birch-bark cup ready before any of III
Q could get tin one out of his knapsack
h and think water never tastes so swee
It as from one of these bark cups. 1t is ex
o actly the thing. 1t just fits the mouth. ant
g it seems to give new virtues to the water
I 1t makes me thirsty now when thinl
of it. In our camp at Moxie we made
l. birch bark box, to keep the butter in
u and the butter in this box, covered witt
d some leafy boughs, think improved i
ie flavor day by day. Maine butter need
a something to mollify and sweeten it
to little, and think birch-bark will do il
IN In camp Uncle Nathan often drank hi
tea and coffee from a bark cup; th
china closet in the birch tree was a
We ways handy, and our vulgar tinware ws
a, generally good deal mixed, and ii
y kitchen maid not at all particular abol
e, dishwashing. We all tried the oatme
IA, with the maple syrup in one of the
th dishes, and the stewed mountain cral
he berries, using a birch-bark spoon, al
sw never found service better. Unc
in Nathan declared he could boil potato
tai in bark kettle, and did not dou
is him. Instead of sending our soil
u.s. napkins and table spreads to the was
lay we rolled them into candles and torch
zen and drew daily from our stores in I
forest for new opes,-Atlantio Month";