i84 THE TIMBERS OF THE WORLD 



light brown, or again a deep, rich brown, ha\dng in some cases lighter 

 streaks ; while in some portions from one to two inches wide, the ordinary 

 colour does not appear to have been affected at all ; again, the warm 

 brow^n may be spotted and streaked with almost black veins, presenting 

 a rich appearance. This last form is called " tortoise-shell " pattern. 



It is a strange fact that one single tree may be affected \\ithout others 

 near or around it showing the slightest trace. Thus, out of a group of 

 trees in Farming Woods Park, one large tree was found to be of a fine 

 rich colour, although some fi\'e or six other simDar ones quite close to it 

 were of the ordinary' colour. On the other hand, it sometimes happens 

 that in a group of trees all are found to be more or less affected. This 

 was specially noticeable in a small wood on the golf course at Stanmore 

 in Middlesex, where a large proportion of the trees which were cut down 

 proved to be all brown, while some were slightly affected and others not 

 at all. One or two very old and large specimens of undoubted American 

 red oak {Quercus rubra, Linn.) growing in England were found to have 

 this peculiarity. 



In the trunk the brown wood occurs either at the base, extending 

 upwards to a variable height, or extending downwards from the crown 

 towards the base to a variable depth, and it appears probable that in a 

 few cases it may start from a large knot below the crown and extend 

 somewhat downwards, but in such cases the proportion of the tree 

 affected is slight. The trunk may be whoUy of a rich brown from the 

 base to the crown ; it may taper brown to a point, or prove to be brown 

 on one side only. An example of this was noticed in a tree grown at 

 Radlett, Hertfordshire, where the brown wood at the base of the trunk 

 extended apparently completely across the heart-wood, then tapered very 

 sharply in an upward direction, becoming at the same time confined to 

 one side of the trunk, and continued thus upwards, gradually tapering to 

 extinction at an approximate height of 15 feet. In connection with 

 partially unilateral distribution may be mentioned the case of an oak 

 tree which grew near a stream. The bole, when only 18 inches in height, 

 gave way to two erect stems, each of which was about 18 inches in thick- 

 ness over a length of 12 to 15 feet. The stumpy bole showed " brown 

 oak " on one side only, and the erect leader topping that side was also 

 characterised by brown wood, whereas the leader springing from the 

 other side of the bole possessed quite normal wood. The brown wood 

 extending up the trunk is often arrested by an extensive knot, and in 

 any case a large knot acts as an obstacle. In the case of trees which 

 have been pollarded, the trunk may be found to be all brown up to the 

 crown, but it is rarely, if ever, found that all the leaders are also brown, 

 although in some cases the greater number are. A very large tree 

 obtained from Danbury Palace, near Chelmsford, Essex, had five 



