The Portland daily press. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1862-1921, 1881-05-19
PRICE 3 CENTS.
[Juns Atlantic.
A Taste of Maine Birch.
BY JOHN BURROUGHS.

The traveller AMI clmpe r-out in Maine. nm.
less he penetrates its more northern portions.
has less reason to rsnsmbar it As A nina tre,
State than birch tree Sta Q. 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. Tho portion of the State
saw, the valley of the Kennsbsc and the
woods about Moxie lake. hal been shorn of its
pine timber more than forty years before, and
is nov covered with a thick growth of spruce
and cedar and various decduous trees But
the birch abounds. Indeed, when the pine
goes out the birch comes in; the race OF man
succeeds the race of giants. This tree has
great stay-at-hone virtues. Lot the sIm5re,
aspiring, mysterious pine go; the birch has
humble everyday uses. In limo. the piper or
canoe birch is turned to III IRE account than any
ether tree. Uncle Nathan, our guide, said it
was made especially for the camper-out; yes,
and for the woodman and frontiersman gem
orally. 1t is a magazine, furnishing store
get 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 woodman's axe tent, water
proof roof, boat, camp utensils, buckets cups,
plates, spoons, napkins. table-cloths, paper for
letters or your journal, torches, candles. kind
ling wood and fuel The canoe birch Yields
you its vestments with the utmost liberality.
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
IL. Near maple-sugar camp there was
large pile of birch bark sap buckets--each
bucket made OF piece of bark about yard
square, folded up as the tinman folds up a
sheet OF tin to make square vessel, the cor
nerS bent around against the sides and held by
wooden pin. When, one day, we were over
taken by shower in travelling through the
woods our guide quickly stripped large sheets
oil the bark from near tree, aud we each had
perfect umbrella as if by magic. When the
rain was over and we moved on, L wrapped
mime about me like a large leather apron, and
1t 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
L think water never tastes so sweet rs from one
of these bark cups. 1t is exactly the thing. II
just fits the mouth, and it seems to give
new virtues to the water. 1t makes me thirsty
now when L think of it, In our camp at Moxie
we made large birch-bark box to keep the
butter ln; and the butter in this box, covered
with some leafy boughs think Improved in
flavor day by day. Maine butter needs some
thing 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 a
bark cup; the china closet in the birch tree
was always handy, and our vulgar tnware
was generally good deal mixed, and the
kitchen maid not at all particular about the
dish-washing. We all tried the oatmeal with
the maple syrup in one of these dishes, and the
stewed mountain cranberries, using a birch
bark spoon, and never found service better.
Uncle Nathan declared he. could boil potatoes
bark kettl6. and / did .louhf Tn
stead OF sending our soiled napkins and table,
spreads to the wash, we rolled them up into
candles and torches. and drew daily upon our
stores in the forest for new ones.