OATS 429 



Coromandel and other parts of India and Ceylon. From these strychnine is obtained. 

 See STRYCHNINE. 



Nux vomica bark was at one time confounded with Angustura or Cusparia bark, 

 and serious consequences might have ensued but that the error was discovered in 

 time. It is now rarely seen. 



o 



OAK. (Chene, Fr. ; Eich, Ger.) This well-known European tree is so familiar 

 that it scarcely requires any description. The varieties generally known in England 

 are the following : Quercus pedunculata, Common Oak, which is a native of Britain, 

 and is largely employed in building ships. Quercus ilex, Evergreen Oak : this tree 

 is not a native, but has been cultivated in Britain from the most remote period. 

 Quercus cerris, Turkey Oak : introduced into this country more than a century since. 

 Quircus coccinea, Scarlet Oak : the leaves changing with the first frosts to a brilliant 

 scarlet. Quercus sessiliflora, Common short-stalked Oak : this is said to excel for 

 building purposes any other oak. 



Oak, Bog. Oak trees which have been buried for a long period in peat bogs, 

 become intensely black ; and this 'bog oak' is employed in the manufacture of 

 furniture and articles of ornament. 



OAK-BARK. The oak tree is generally barked from the beginning of May to 

 the middle of July. The barkers make a longitudinal incision with a mallet furnished 

 with a sharp edge, and a peculiar incision by means of a barking-bill. The bark is 

 then removed by peeling-irons, the separation being promoted, when necessary, by 

 beating the bark. It is collected and stacked in pieces about 2 feet long. Oak-bark 

 contains, according to Braconnot, tannic acid, tannates of the earths, gallic acid, pectin, 

 and lignin. Davy, in his ' Agricultural Chemistry,' gave the following as the relative 

 quantities of tannin contained in oak-bark : 



480 Ibs. of entire bark of a middle-sized oak cut in spring . 29 Ibs. 



coppice oak . . . . . . . . 32 



oaks cut in autumn 21 



White interior cortical layers . . . . . . . 72 



See LEATHER ; TAN ; TANNING. 



OAK, DYER'S. See GAix-NtTTS. 

 OAK-GAXiX.8. See GALL-NUTS. 



OAST. Hop Oast. A kiln for drying hops, heated by a stove with flues. 



OATS. (Avoine, Fr. ; Hafer, Ger.) The oat is extensively cultivated in these 

 islands, especially in Scotland. In fact, Scotland is the country admittedly the best 

 fitted for the growth of oats. The estimated number of acres of cultivated land in 

 Scotland is 2,400,000 ; of which 220,000 are under wheat, 280,000 under barley, and 

 1,270,000 under oats. 



Oats returned as sold in various Market Towns in England and Wales. 



These returns of the sale of oats were obtained from 290 towns previous to Jan. 1, 

 1865, and from 150 towns since. They represent, therefore, but very imperfectly the 

 quantity of oats produced in these Islands. Our agricultural statistics are, unfortu- 

 nately, in a very unsatisfactory state. 



