The Barre daily times. (Barre, Vt.) 1897-1959, 1908-01-07
NAMES MOST USEFUL TREE.
The Yellow Birch--In Primitive Days Use
Began With Cradle Ended With Crave

Old persons who look back now to the
primitive days Of long ago contend that
without the yellow birch life in the
Maine backwoods would have been al
most uncomfortable. From the cradle,
which was often woven from yellow birch
sprouts, to the coffin, which was at
times equipped with yellow birch beck
cts for lowering it into the grave, and
all the way between, different parts Of
the most useful tree were in constant
use Ii fence post split and allowed
the rails 70 drop 50 that the cattle could
escape from the pasture, a twisted yell
low birch withe set things right,
II q suspended grindstone requiring an
enduring bearing. If the stakes Of Il
loaded sled or the sides Of laden cart
or the poles on a stack OF beans required
drawing together so that they would
stand heavy strain, the yellow birch
withe was ready IN the thicket Just back
from the house, and needed only a sharp
knife to fit it for duty. Pressed hay
was tied fast IN bales, hayracks and mar
rows and baskets and barrels and sleds
and sleighs and ladders and Iop.sided
doors and gates and tottering well
sweeps, and almost every stationary OF
movable article about the premises, were
made better or more seryieeable BY birch
withes. The withe held the cow to ner
etanchion in the barn, and the calf To
the crowbar IN the moved grain stubble.
Several witnes made hurdles for sneep,
crates for shipping poultry; withes
served as goad sticks for driving oxen
and as washers 10 take mp extra spaces
on the bows below the howpins.
Witbes inclosed stable stones in a
firm meshwork and converted them in
to kilocks when anchors were unavail-
able, and whatever was needed in house
building OF in making snares Of nets Of
else was turned over To the plant and
yellow birch, which acted a. a
stop gap in nearly every duty Of life.
Nor are the modern uses 81 yellow
bircn few or unimportant. Up at West
Sebois is a factory which turns out and
ships away more than Fifty thousand
pairs Of yellow birch cart hubs every
year, and the operations are to be ems
larged. III West Virginia the resident
d the mountain region are chopping the
twigs Of yellow birch trees and distil.
ing them for the extraction Of taeir
fragran. and volatile oil which is sold
on the spot under the name II coil Of
for So or more a gallon.
The wood of the yellow bircn makes
a. useful as maple, The terminal twigs
81 the yellow birch afford food for the
wild partridges al through the cold
winter when the ground IS clad in snow,
and when hunters wish To shoot wild
hares ~ moonlight they first fell 4 big
yellow birch and chop of the limbs and
twigs at some open and convenient spot
10 lure the animals 10 their destruction
yellow birch makes q seryiceable and
beautiful hardwood floor which takes
fine polish. The same wood, when turn
ID and haped according to rule. forms
centre and extension tables. stone boats. |
cart bodies, sled frames, cradles and /
,askets.
No country school house II placed in
! position where a liberal education may
be gained without effort unless thielSets |
II yellow birch surround It on three
sides. There is more said about Maine /
zine, and Just now there is much more
profit ia Maine spruce than in yellow /
birch, but every boy Or girl wto was
'aised in Maine and experienced the Vi
,isstudes of Maine country life. when I
.ecalling the trees and shrubs Of enid I
iood will think Of the yellow birch |
oonest and remember it longest, for did +
lot the yellow birch rod rest, waen not
n use, above the row Of nails in the
,ack entry? And was It not with vel
ow birch persuasion that father made
lis convincing arguement when be con.
ulted as out in the she'd Bangor Cor
Of Philadelphia Record.