Morning journal and courier. [volume] (New Haven [Conn.]) 1848-1894, 1881-06-03

[John Burroughs in the June Atlantic.

49, WAY 0AA-~N ~Ae@o-~N~O-I
The traveller and camper-out in Maine, un-
less he penetra tests more northern portions,
has less reason to remember it as 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 remote and in
accessible parts. The portion of the State 1
saw, the valley of the Kennebec and the
woods about Moxie Lake, had been shorn of
it's pine timber more than forty years before,
and is now covered with 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
-ombre, aspiring, mysterious pine go the
birch has humble every day 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 wood an
and frontiersman generally. 1t is a magazine,
a furnishing store set up in the wilderness,
whose goods are free to every conner. The
whole equipment of the camp lies folded in
it. and comes forth at the beck of the wood
mans axe; tent water proof roof, boat, camp
utensils, buckets cups plates, spoons, nap
kins tablecloth-, paper for letters or your
journal torches, candles, kindling wood, and
fuel. The canoe birch yields you its vest
ments with the utmost hberality. Ask
for its coat, and it gives you its
waistcoat also. Its 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
hay stacks capped with it. Near a 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
a square vessel, the corners bent around
Al ;la1 bald h-ra Win
When, one day. we were overtaken by
shower in travelling through the woods, our
guide quickly stripped large sheets of the
bark from a near. tree, and we each had
perfect umbrella as by magic. When the
rain was over, and we moved on, l wrapped
mine about me like large leather apron, and
it shielded my clothes from the wet bushes.
When we came to a spring, Uncle Nathan
would have birch bark cup ready before any
of us could get tin one out of his knapsack,
and think water never tastes SO sweet as
from one of these birch cups 1t is exactly
the thing. 1t Just fits the mouth, and it seems
to give new virtues to the water. 1t makes
me thirsty now when think of it. In our
camp at Moxie we made large birch
bark box to keep the butter in; and the
butter in this box, covered with some leafy
boughs, think improved in flavor day by
day Maine butter needs something to
mollify and sweeten it a little, and think
birch bark will do it. In camp Uncle Nathan
often drank his tea and coffee from bark
| cup; the china closet in the birch tree was
always handy, and our vulgar tinware was
generally good deal mixed, and the kitchen
maid not at all pal ticular about dish washing.
| We all tried the oatmeal with the maple
| syrup in one of these dishes, and the stewed
| mountain cranberries, using q birch-bark
spoon, and never found service better.
| Uncle Nathan declared he could boil pota-
| toes in a bark kettle, and 1 did not doubt
| him. Instead of sending our soiled napkins
and table-spreads to the wash, rolled
| them up into candles and torches, and drew
daily upon our stores in the forest for new
| mag