QUERCUS 11 



called sap wood. Each spring's growth formed 

 a new ring of wood around the old, with thin 

 walls to the cells through which the water 

 could hurry up to the laboratory in the 

 leaves. In the summer the cells were stouter 

 walled and smaller mouthed, making a finer 

 honeycomb, or as you would crochet a pattern 

 closer — if you are a girl — only, of course, these 

 cells were much smaller than any stitch ever 

 taken with a crochet needle. Through these 

 rings ran the silvery pith rays, made up of 

 storage cells. 



As Quercus grew stouter, the new rings of 

 wood became narrower. Between the last ring 

 of wood and the bark, a thin layer of cambium 

 covered him from top to toe, only this garment 

 did not shrink, as your union suit is apt to do ; 

 it constantly grew, forming new wood on the 

 inside and new bark on the outside. And thus 

 he grew very stout, and every year had to let 

 out his coat, which began to look quite seamy. 



So Quercus became, in the course of time, a 

 fine, large tree. He had conquered many ene- 

 mies, not least among which were insects, 



