210 Cultivation of the Samac. 



ket. Its value is judged by the color of the leaves, which should 

 be of a bright green, and the price ranges about 75 cents per 100 

 pounds. The quantity gathered is about 7,000 to 8,000 tons. It is 

 ground in close compartments, under revolving stone or wooden 

 rollers, and is sent to market in sacks. 



842. The difference in quality between Sicilian and American su- 

 macs is about 6 to 8 per cent of tannic acid in favor of the former, 

 while its price is about $50 more per ton. The native sumacs grow 

 readily from seeds and sprouts, and when ouce started might be 

 propagated with facility. It has not yet been determined as to the 

 differences that may result from climate, but judging from the ex- 

 perience of Europe, a warm climate, and a southern slope, would be 

 more favorable than others, and as it is found growing wild in the 

 most rugged and rocky grounds, it may doubtless be cultivated in 

 such places with profit. 



843. A considerable amount of sumac was formerly gathered in 

 Connecticut, and there are still persons who make it an exclusive 

 business to gather, dry, and thresh the leaves for market. It sells 

 in New York and Boston at from $40 to $50 per ton. It is gathered 

 entirely from the wild shrubs, no attempt being made at cultivation. 



CHAPTER XXII. 



DESCRIPTIONS OF PARTICULAR SPECIES. 



844. It is not our purpose to follow a systematic classification in 

 the following pages, nor to introduce botanical descriptions. We 

 shall present some facts concerning the number and distribution of 

 species ; more particularly those that appear worthy of attention in 

 forest-culture, without attempting to notice those that are of chief 

 interest for ornamental planting, or that are merely woody shrubs. 



The Oaks and their related Species. 



845. Of the natural order Cupidiferce to which the oaks, beech, 

 chestnut, etc., belong, there are about four hundred species. They 

 are divided into three tribes, viz: Betidce, including the birches and 

 alders; Coryllece, including the hornbeam, iron wood, hazel, etc., and 

 the Quercince, including the oaks, chestnuts, and beeches. 



846. The OAKS are, by general consent, ranked by English writers 

 upon sylviculture as of first importance, on account of the great 



