58 ENGLISH WOODLANDS 



whether it belongs to the sessile or pedunculate 

 variety. Unless the intended plantation is in a 

 district where the sessile variety grows well, 

 the pedunculate variety should be planted, for 

 if there is any superiority in use for structural 

 purposes and durability it belongs to the pedun- 

 culate variety. 



Oak timber of the finest quality is nearly 

 always found only in trees which have grown 

 isolated or as standards over coppice. Such 

 trees will usually have short boles and large 

 branching heads, but occasionally, and on land 

 particularly suitable for oak, they grow as 

 vigorous trees, with tall clean boles, and the 

 timber from such trees is of exceptional size 

 and quality. 



Oak woods have generally been formed by 

 planting, but some have been formed by plough- 

 ing the ground and sowing acorns. It is not 

 probable that sowing has any advantage in 

 point of economy over planting. 



This method of growing oak was probably 

 adopted in deference to an opinion that oak 

 grown in situ made better timber than trees 

 which had suffered the check of being trans- 

 planted. There are no experiments from which 

 it is possible to decide if there are any grounds 



