THE WHITE OAK AND OTHER SPECIES. 161 



The leaves of this tree bear some resemblance to those 

 of the chestnut. They are almost entire, and bluntly 

 serrated, rather than scalloped. They are of a slightly 

 reddish green when mature, and turn to a leather-color in 

 the autumn. Trees of this species are at the present 

 time very prominent objects of the landscape in East- 

 ern Massachusetts, where they are very frequent in half- 

 cleared lands that lie only a little above the sea level and 

 contain considerable clay. The Swamp Oak in some 

 favorable soils attains great size ; but in New England, 

 though an interesting object in scenery, it is only a tree 

 of second magnitude. The Chestnut Oak is not uncom- 

 mon around New Bedford and many other parts of New 

 England, but it is not an inhabitant of the woods near 

 Boston. 



THE RED OAK. 



The Eed Oak is the largest of the genus belonging 

 to American woods, and the -least useful for any pur- 

 poses except those of shade and ornament. It is very 

 regular and well proportioned, having a remarkably wide 

 spread, and branches comparatively but little contorted. 

 It is taller than the white oak, and does not branch 

 so near the ground ; but it possesses in a high degree 

 that expression of majesty for which the oak is cele- 

 brated. The scarcity of trees of this species by our road- 

 sides is remarkable, since they display the union of so 

 many of the qualities which are desirable in a shade- 

 tree. The Eed Oak thrives well on a poor soil, and 

 grows with great rapidity; its foliage is very beautiful, 

 and deeply cleft, like that of the scarlet oak, though 

 larger, and its reddish-purple tints in the autumn are 

 hardly inferior. Perhaps the scarcity of oaks in gen- 



