38o 



Journal nf Agriculture. 



[lo June, 1910. 



QuERCus Ilex. 



THis closely allied tree, although it yields no cork, cannot h)e passed over 

 without mention, for it is usually found assfx:iated with the cork oak in 

 the forests of Southern Portugal, where it is grown for timber and for its 

 acorns, which are of great value as pig feed. Our photograph shows a very 

 large specimen of Q. Ilex at Tisnada (Alemtejo). The Q. Ilex differs some- 

 what from Q. Suber, doing better than it in limey soils; nevertheless, the 

 two are largely found together. Between them, thev occupv a greater area 

 of the forests of the countr\- than any other tree. Being so often mixed, 

 exact figures are difficult to get, but it has been estimated officiallv that 

 Q. Ilex occupied 625,000 acres and Q. Ilex 525,000 acres in 1900. These 

 areas have not greatly altered since. There are several varieties of the former 

 species. 0. Ilex var. Belbtia, known popularly as AzinJio. is the one 



VERY LARGE EVERGREEN OAK (QUERCUS ILEX VAR. BELOTTA) AT TISNADA. 



which produces the sweet acorn. This tree is to be met with right through 

 the Peninsula, where the sweet acorns it yields are not only looked upon as 

 a most valuable food for pigs, but enter largely into human consumption. 

 Though Q. Suber produces aoorns in even greater quantity, they are not 

 of nearly equal quality. They are, nevertheless, also excellent pig feed, 

 though not fit for human consumption. Owing to the better quality of its 

 acorns the Q. Ilex was the more popular of the two half-a-century ago. 

 ■ The increasing demand for cork has, however, led to its being largely 

 displaced by Q. Suber. 



Acorns as Pig Feed. 



It is estimated that the two above-mentioned trees vield between them 

 annually in Portugal no less than 163,000 tons of acorns, a quantity suflfi- 

 •cient to fatten 300,000 pigs. On an average, 1,000,000 pigs are raised 

 annually in the country; it thus follows that one-third of these pigs are 

 fed on acorns. 



