The news and herald. (Winnsboro, S.C.) 1877-1900, 1881-06-30
a Taste OF NIaino Birch.

The traveller and camper out III Maine,
unless he pcnctr1tcs its more northern DOT.
lions, has less reason to remember IL as {
pine tree state than as a birch tree state
The white pine forests have melted away
ike snow in the spring and gone down
stream, leaving only patches here ant
there i'll the more remote and inaccessible
parts. The portion Of tho State saw, tho
valley OF the. Kenncbcc and the woods
about Moxic lake. had been shorn Of its
pins timber moro than forty years before
and is now covered with thick growth OF
spruce and cedar and various deciduous
trees. But the birch abountis. Indeed,
when the pine goes out the birch comes
III; the race of men succeeds the race OF
giants This tree has great stay-,.t home
virtues. Let the sombrc, aspiring, mys-
ferrous pine go; 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 II was made especially for the camper
out; yes, and for the woOdman and
1ronticrsmnn generally. 1t is a magazine,
furnishing store set up in the wilderness,
whose goods are free to every conner. The
whole equipment Of the camp lies folded
IN 1t. and comes forth at the beck of the
woodman's axe; tent, water proof roof,
boat, camp utensils, buckets, cups, plates,
spoons, napkins, tablc-cloths, paper for
letters or your journal, torches, candles,
klndiing wood and fuel. The canoe birch
yields you its vcstmcnts with the utmost
llbcrality. Ask for its coat and it gives
you its waistcoat also. Its bark seems
wrapped about it layer upon layer, and
comes OIL with 81 eat case. Wo saw many
rude structures and cabins shinglcd aud
SIDED with il, and hay stacks capped with
1t. Near maple sugar camp there was a
large pile of birch bark sap buckcts-cach
bucket made Of piece of bark abou, a
yard square, folded up as a tinman folds
up Il sheet OF tin to rmke square vessel
the corners bent around against tho sides
ana held by wooden pin. When, one
day, we were ovcrlakcn by shower in
travelling through the woods, our guide
quickly stripped large sheets of L5c bark
from near tree, ana we each had Il perfect
umbrella as If by magic. When the rain
was over and we moved on, | wrapped
mine about me like Il large leather apron
and it shielded my clothes from the wet
bushes. When we came to spring, Uncle
Nathan would have birch bark cup ready
before any Of us could get Il tin one out of
h's knapsack, and | think water never
tastes 50 sweet as from one OF these bark
cups. 1t is exactly the thing. 1t just fits
the mouth, and i: sccmsto give new virtues
to the water. IL makes Inc thirsty now
when think of il. In our camp ut Moxic
we made large blrch-bark box to keep
the butter III ; and the butter in this box,
covered with some lcafy boughs,, think
improved in flavor day by day. Name
butter needs something to mollry and
swcetcn II little, and think birch bark
will 90 it. In camp Uncle Nathan often
drank his tea and coffee from bark cup
the china closet in the birch tree was al
ways handy, and our vulgar tinwarc was
generally good deal mixed, and tho
Kitchen maid not at all particular about
washing. We all tried the oatmeal with
the maple syrup in ono Of these dishc J. and
the stcwcd mountain cranbcrries, using a
birch bark spoon, and never found service
better. Uncle Nathan declared hc could
Doll potatoes IN Il bark kettle, and l did
mol doubt him. Instead of senling our
so'led napkins and table spreads t. the
was II, we rolled them up in1o candles and
torches, and drew daily upon our stores in
The forest for new ones.