58 Bulletin 73 



]\Iancliester. A grove occurs at West Rutland and there are native trees 

 upon Rock Point near Burlington. This is tlie most northern station in 

 New England. The chestnut will probably grow in all parts of the state 

 and may well be cultivated both for its delicious nuts and for its beauty 

 as a shade tree. 



The leaves are shiny and graceful, from six to eight inches long. When 

 they are nearly grown, long, stiff catkins of fragrant, greenish-yellow flow- 

 ers appear. These bear the pollen, the fruit-bearing flowers being smaller, 

 enclosed in bur-like scales. The nuts, two or three in a bur, ripen in 

 October. 



THE OAKS 



The oaks, abundant throughout the nortliern hemisphere, are remark- 

 able for their massive trunks, for their thick, rugged bark and large, strong 

 roots. They are distinguished from all other trees by their cupped fruit, 

 but many who have seen these fruits have not noticed the small, scaly 

 masses of flowers which produce them. The pollen-bearing flowers are 

 found on the same tree, but are arranged in long, slender catkins consisting 

 of a cluster of from three to twelve stamens. Some of the oaks, including 

 the red and black, do not mature their fruit until the second year. 



Oak timber is of great commercial value, being used for a variety of 

 purposes. For strength, hardness, toughness and durability combined, it 

 is unsurpassed. 



The oak genus is a large one. Ten species are known to occur in Ver- 

 mont, and these sometimes hybridize, producing intermediate forms. The 

 bear oak or scrub oak, Q. nana (Marsh. ) Sarg., is a straggling shrub, occur- 

 ring sparingly in southeastern Vermont. The dwarf chinquapin oak, Q. 

 prinoides, Willd., is also a rare shrubby species ; dry hillsides, Pownal (Rob- 

 bins, Eggleston), Weybridge (Brainerd). The other eight species are trees. 

 Of these three are rare or local in their occurrence, as follows : 



Chinquapin oak, Q. acuminata (Michx. ) Sarg. , [Q. Mnhlenbergii 

 Engelm. ), Gardiner's Island,. Lake Ciiamplain (Pringle). 



Bur oak, Q. macrocar/xt Michx., in the Champlain valley, more com- 

 mon in Addison county than elsewhere. 



Scarlet oak, Q. coccinea Wang, Pownal (Eggleston). 



The other five are of more common occurrence ; the following key will 

 aid in distinguishing them. 



Lobes of leaves obtuse, not bristle-poiuted, fruit aunual. 



Leaves usually deeply-lobed (H- or J^-way to midrib) White Oak 



Leaves scalloped or shallow lobed (less than Yi-way to midrib), stalk of acorn much 



longer than leaf-stalk Swamp White Oak 



Leaves undulate-toothed (crenate) , stalk of acorn shorter than leaf-stalk . .Chestnut Oak 



Lobes of leaves acute, bristle-pointed, fruit biennial. 



Acorn large, cup %-i inch broad, shallow, saucer-shaped Red Oak 



Acoru small, cup Yz-K inch broad, hemispherical or top-shaped Yellow Oak 





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