190 THE TIMBERS OF THE WORLD 



tree more like that of bird's-eye maple than oak, and has served to make 

 the front of a very handsome bookcase." 



Yet burrs are by no means confined to pollard trees, for they frequently 

 arise on ordinary oak trees at various heights up the trunk. The causes 

 responsible for the production of burrs are often unknown. In the oak, 

 they appear to arise sometimes as a consequence of attack by rabbits, 

 which gnaw the bark at the base of young trees and thus stimulate the 

 trunk to abnormal growth. This is localised and gives rise to a burr, 

 which may extend completely round the base of the trunk. A basal 

 burr of this extreme type is shown in the foregoing illustration, which 

 depicts a transported rootless trunk standing on a flat bed of concrete. 

 The tree originally grew in Stoke Park. 



It is thus evident that the terms " burr " and " pollard " should not 

 be employed as synonyms. StiU less correct is it to confine the term 

 " pollard oak " to burr- wood of the " brown oak tree," as was formerly 

 the custom among timber merchants. This burr-wood of " brown oak " 

 was much admired and used from fifty to a hundred years ago, when it 

 was known as " pollard oak." ^ It was more appreciated in the north 

 of England, though some fine examples of Victorian cabinet work, made 

 by Gillow and others, are to be found in the south (a handsome round 

 table of that period veneered with this wood stands in the Savile Club, 

 London). 



Oak, Cork. Quercus Suber, Linn. Spain, Portugal. 



This oak supplies the cork which is used for commercial purposes. 

 It is the produce of the extraordinarily developed corky layer of the 

 bark. Pliny mentions the use of cork for stopping bottles and casks, 

 and also 'for nets . and lifebelts. The general employment of corks for 

 glass bottles, however, appears to date only from the fifteenth century. 



Oak, Formosan, Quercus pseudo-myrsineaefolia, Hay. Weight, 75 lbs. 

 Formosa. 



This wood resembles that of Q. Morii, Hay, in weight, texture, and 

 general characteristics. It is, however, of a brighter colour, almost of a 

 rose shade, while, lacking the darker streaks of this wood, the effect is 

 more uniform. It is a very beautiful wood, and should be highly valued 

 for cabinet and decorative work. 



The transverse grain has a very pretty appearance. The pores are 

 scarce and small. The principal medullary rays are very strong, and 

 running parallel between them are numerous equidistant secondary 



^ So far as can be ascertained, at that time " maiden " " brown oak " {i.e. wood 

 having the ordinary straight grain) was never sought for, and was used merely when 

 accidentally secured. 



