80 



STI'DIKS OF TREES 



lawns and on (.Tit a in streets where the tree can find plenty 



of water and N\herc conditions will permit its branches to 



droop low. 



Commercial value: The wood is heavy and hard but 



coarse grained and liable to clun'k and warj). Its i)rineipal 



use is in the construction of 

 houses and for shingles. 



CHESTNUT {Castanea dentata) 



Distinguishing characters : 

 The bark in young trees is 

 smooth and of a marked red- 

 dish-l)ronze color, but when the 

 tree grows older, the bark 

 lireaks up into diamond-shaped 

 ridges, sufficiently characteris- 

 tic to distinguish the tree at a 

 glance, see Fig. 65. A close 

 examination of the terminal 

 twig will show three ridges and 

 two grooves running down along 

 the stem from the base of each 

 leaf or leaf-scar. The twig has 

 no true terminal bud. The 



fruit, a large, round bur, prickly without and hairy within 



and enclosing the familiar dark brown, sweet edible nuts 



is also a distinguishing mark of the tree. 



Leaf: The leaves are distinctly long and narrow. 



They are from 6 to 8 inches long. 



Fig. 64. — Leaf and Fruit of 

 Pin Oak. 



