3^ 



There was no doubt, the President added, that in thi trade, timber 

 dealers did not inquire which oak it was, but put their value upon it according 

 to the grain, and not according to the kind ; and in the market pedunculata 

 was certainly everywhere the most valuable. Carpenters preferred Riga and 

 tessilijlora oak, because it works easier, and they argued that, if taken care of, 

 it would wear as well as pedunculata. They could give no reason why the 

 latter commanded a much better price, but a general belief existed as to its 

 much greater durability. 



K. D. Harrison, Esq., said that sessiliAora was common in the north 

 of England, where oaks were famous for their large size ; but as to durability 

 of oak, he contended that did not depend so much upon the kind as upon the 

 quality of the soil where it grew, and adduced local instances in proof of this. 



The Rev. H. Key doubted whether one of Mr. Blashill's specimens waa 

 pedunculata, as he alleged. 



Mr. Blashill contended that it was, and said that none of our Govern- 

 ment timber buyers would think of buying sessUiflora. 



The Rev. H. C. Key, in a brief reply, stated that he could not agree 

 with many of the observations made by the several speakers. Against the 

 authorities they had quoted, he was content to have Dr. Lindley, Sir "Wm. 

 Hooker, and the others named in his paper, to the effect that sessiliflora is as 

 superior in the quality of its timber as it is in the beauty of its growth. None 

 of them had met the fact that sessiliflora produced a far greater quantity of 

 timber, from growing wth a longer trunk, and rarely taking the pollard form 

 which distinguishes pedunculata. And notwithstanding the scarcity of sessili- 

 flora in the county, which probably does not amount to more than four per 

 cent, of the oak trees, if anyone asks which are the finest specimens of oak in 

 this county, he would be told that there are two which stand pre-eminent, 

 viz., the great oak at Tibberton (probably the finest oak in all England), and 

 " the Monarch " at Helm Lacey. These two trees are quercus sessiliflora. 



The President, in closing the discassion, repeated his opinion as to the 

 greater beauty of sessiliflora, and added that if they consulted a timber 

 merchant, he would say that oak grown in a particular district was always 

 excellent, but that he would not value oak grown in another district that 

 experience had told him was unfitted to produce it. The timber merchant 

 therefore formed his estimate of value according to its quality, and knew 

 nothing of the difference between sessiliflora and pedunculata. Looking at 

 all the statements which had been put forward he thought they must admit 

 that when well grown the sessiliflora was the more ornamental tree, but that 

 they could not go further. Everything beyond that depended upon th« 

 quality of the wood itself, its rate of growth, and the soil on which it grew. 



