(1822) statement that beech was one of the trees that could be found in "clumps of a particular kind

by themselves” — he later described the experience of walking through such forests consisting of beech ”growing separately by itself”. And as noted above, we also have Perley's (1847) statement that what he called ’red beech’ was ”so abundant [on the island] as to constitute extensive

forests"?3

Beech in mixed hardwood forest - But beech could also occur in mixtures with other forest trees. John Stewart states this explicitly: ”in some districts, [beech] forms nine-tenths of the forest, in others, it is more mixed with other trees”32". From his discussion of the use of the natural forest as an indicator of soil quality for clearance, it is evident that the mixture with beech was likely to comprise sugar maple and yellow birch, with or without some conifers — what Stewart calls ”the different kinds of pine and firs”, and with or without the ”dwarf yew” (i.e. ground hemlock, Taxus canadensis) — the presence of which, he considered an indicator of good soil. These same tree associates were also recorded by Selkirk (1803), who identified several types of mixed forest in which beech was a component: (1) ”beech and maple alone” — presumably sugar maple; (2) beech and maple with yellow birch; and (3) these same three hardwoods with ”here and there some Pine Spruce etc.” — presumably white pine and red spruce, and perhaps even hemlock. And we have the combination of beech and yellow birch recorded at two separate sites in evidence given to the Land Commission of 1875325.

Once such beech forests were cut down, Dawson (1868) records that even when the land was not used for farming, beech was not able to regenerate directly, but was "succeeded by spruce and fir”.

323 Curtis (1775), despite his ambiguous phrasing, also seems to

refer to single species stands of beech: “where the hard Wood grew its common to find several Acres together of Beech or Birch or Maple or Which-Hazle" — the 'ors' between the different trees rather than ‘ands' suggesting that these hardwood areas could comprise several acres of a single species; further support is provided by the end of the sentence where mixtures are described: “and some parts is quite a mixture All sorts growing together‘.

32‘ Stewart 1806. 325 Beech was recorded as growing with “birch" (it must have been yellow birch) and some softwood on “wilderness land" near Hampshire (evidence of John Douse concerning Lot 31); and with "black birch" (i.e. yellow birch] and “a little fir‘, in a “somewhat heavy growth" on a farm on the north side of the Hillsborough River (evidence of Donald Ferguson of Lot 35).

Soil relationships — In general, beech was considered to occur on the better forest soils. Hill (1839) states explicitly that ”beech [attained] its perfection upon the best lands”, as does Bain (1890), who includes beech as one of the species occurring on the ”best soil”. Similarly, Perley (1847) said that on the island ”the finest beech trees [grew] on fertile, level, or gently sloping lands, which are proper for the cultivation of grain”. However, the best soils for agricultural clearance were considered not to be those where beech OCCurred on its own, but rather where beech was one element in a mixed hardwood forest (with maple and yellow birch as well as some pines and other conifers)“. Even so, “the land where beech abounds” was according to Johnstone (1822) still considered ”the second best on the Island”.327 It may have been the dryness of such soils that made it less suitable: Selkirk (1803) said that "beech and maple alone implies very dry land"; Bain (1882) said that it was on ”our driest lands” that beech ”flourishes most plentifully”, while in 1890 he recorded that it grew on ”dry sandstone soils”328; and Dawson (1868) refers to beech growing on ”light soils".329 Macoun (1894) observed that such ”dry ridges”, with beech and sugar maple, were found throughout the island even only a few feet above the level of the sea rather than only in upland areas as was the case in mainland Nova Scotia and New Brunswick.

Properties and uses — Despite being an abundant hardwood considered to be of a high quality with the trees of a good size, beech seems to have been used less than either maple or yellow birch for building or carpentry.

Building and carpentry — There are only a few comments on the uses of beech wood: it was one of the hardwoods for which Captain John MacDonald (1784) asked his sister Nellie to have ten to fifteen "thick logs from eight to twelve feet long” cut and seasoned so as to be ready when required in the future "for chairs and other uses".

325 That such mixed hardwood forests were considered the most suitable for agriculture is stated explicitly by many authors: Selkirk 1803, Stewart 1806, Johnstone 1822, MacGregor 1828, Lawson 1851 and Bain 1890.

327 Bain [1882] goes so far as to say that such lands when cleared, produced the “fullest wheat harvests".

32" Bain 1890.

329 This seems to be the reason for Selkirk’s (1803) comment that “beech lands“ were considered less suitable by his informants because hay or fodder crops could not be maintained on them in the winter period.

192