364 



ARBORICULTURE 



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A^PaL • 





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Live Oak, City Park, New Orleans, La. 



The Live Oak. 



(Quercus Virens) 



Probably the grandest shade tree of 

 the south is this immense specimen of 

 the Oak Family. 



There are several varieties of the Oak 

 which are termed Live Oak, for the 

 reason that the leaves are retained, 

 green, during the vs^inter, and as the 

 young leaves are formed in the spring 

 the old leaves gradually fall avv^ay. 



All along the Atlantic Coast from 

 Virginia to Florida there are small grow- 

 ing trees of the Live Oak in its mag- 

 nificence. 



During the period of w^ooden ships, 

 the timber of the live oak w^as sought 

 by the Government and by ship build- 



ers for its very valuable timber strong, 

 dense or close grained w^ood, possess- 

 ing great durability, the choicest timber 

 for men of war. 



On account of its extreme value, even 

 when the American forests v^rere yet in 

 their prime, the better lumber trees 

 v/ere almost exterminated. 



At present, there is no special value 

 placed upon the w^ood, beyond other 

 oaks, and most of the trees have very 

 short bodies, unfit for lumber. 



We are now^ considering trees suit- 

 able for public streets and parks, and 

 as such, there is quite likely no other 

 tree possessing such grandeur, having 

 so broad a spread of branches, or form- 

 ing a be ter shade, than the old Live 

 Oak trees of the South. 



