THE OAKS WITH ACORNS. 147 



ests. Tlie bark of the trunk resembles that of the 

 white oak ; it is a trifle darker. The dark-green 

 leaves are roughened above and below with little 

 hairs ; their under side is a trifle grayish ; in autumn 

 they turn a dull yellow or light brown. The lobes 

 of the leaves are rounded and sprawling, their bases 

 frequently wedge-shaped. The acorn is small, and 

 has a short stem, on which it usually grows in pairs 

 (sometimes in threes) ; the cup-shaped cup incases at 

 least one third of the nut. 



The post oak is found from the eastern extremity 

 of Cape Cod, along the southern coast of Massachu- 

 setts, Rhode Island, and Long Island, N. Y., to 

 northern Florida ; it is also common in the dry soil 

 of Martha's Yineyard, where its growth is shrublike, 

 with crooked stems. It extends southwestward to 

 Texas, and has its best growth in the dry uplands of 

 the Mississippi basin. Its hard, durable wood is used 

 in making carriages, and other useful articles which 

 require strength of construction. In the distance it 

 is easy to recognize the post oak because of its ex- 

 tremely dark-green foliage. 



The burr or over-cup oak has an ex- 

 Burr or Over-cap r 



Oak. tremely long, deeply lobed (near the 



yuercus middle) leaf, smooth above and pale 



macrocarpa. . . 



green and downy below, lhis is one 

 of the largest of the oaks on the eastern side of the 



