QUERN ALES. 479 



Several varieties occur in North Africa, Japan, and North America. 0. 

 vesca, var. Americana, our native Chestnut, of the Eastern United 

 States, is a large tree, with smaller and sweeter nuts than the Old 

 World variety. Its wood, which is light, coarse-grained and easily 

 worked, is highly prized for making doors, cases, certain kinds of fur- 

 niture, etc. 



Fagus syhatica, the Beech of Europe and Western Asia, supplies a 

 hard wood much used in chair-making, turnery, and in the manufac- 

 ture of wooden shoes. Purple Beech, often cultivated as a curiosity, 

 is a variety of this species. 



F. ferruginea, the common Beech of the Eastern United States, is a 

 large spreading tree ; its wood is reddish in color, and of great hard- 

 ness when dry, and is used in making carpenters' tools, and for other 

 purposes. Its nuts, known as Beech-nuts or Beecli-Mast, are nutritious, 

 and, where abundant, are used for fattening swine. 



In Southern South America, New Zealand and Australia , there are 

 six or seven evergreen species of this genus. 



The genus Quercus includes the Oaks, in all about 250 species, which 

 are widely distributed in the Northern Hemisphere ; none occur be- 

 yond the equator. De Candolle (Prodromus, Vol. XVI.) divides the 

 genus into six sections, four of which are exclusively Southeastern' 

 Asiatic. 



SECTION I. The Scaly-Cupped Oaks. These include the common 

 oaks of Europe and America. They are again subdivided into two sub- 

 sectionsviz., the White Oaks and the Black Oaks. 



(a) White Oaks. 



Quercus Robur, the British Oak, of England and the Continent of 

 Europe. It is a stately tree, supplying a most valuable timber for all 

 kinds of constructive purposes, in naval, civil, and military engineering. 

 It is considered to be superior to all other kinds of oak for its timber. 

 The bark contains tannin, and is much used in tanning. (Figs. 370-4.) 



Q. Lusitanica, var. infectoi-ia, of the Levant, produces the Nutgalls 

 of commerce ; these are morbid growths on the petioles or midribs of 

 the leaves, resulting from punctures made by an Hymenopterous insect 

 of the genus Cynips. Their value lies in the tannin they contain. 



Q. alba, the White Oak of the Eastern United States, stands next to 

 Q. Robur in the value of its timber, which is used in this country as 

 British Oak is in Europe. 



Q. virena, the Live Oak of the Southeastern United States, and ex- 

 tending westward to Texas, is a large tree, twelve to twenty metres 

 (40-60 feet) high, with spreading branches, bearing small entire ever- 

 green leaves. Its hard and heavy wood is very strong and durable, 

 and has been much used in ship-building. 



Q. chrysolepis, the Canon Live Oak of the canons and mountain- sides 

 of California, resembles the preceding in many respects, being like it 

 nn evergreen, and sometimes attaining a height of from twelve to six- 



