TREE SPECIES. 31 



is largely used in the manufacture of farm implements, wagons, and furniture 

 and for interior finish. The bark is rich in tannin. It seeds abundantly and 

 often, and reproduction is good. The rate of growth is less rapid than that of 

 the red oaks. 



Post oak {Quercus minor). The post oak is a small tree, seldom more than 

 60 feet in height and 24 inches in diameter. It is especially valued for wagon 

 hubs. It occurs only on dry soils, generall}' associated with 3'^ellow pine and 

 black oak, and is uncommon except at low elevations, especially toward the 

 southwestern end of the mountains. It seeds freely and reproduces well. The 

 rate of growth is fair. 



Swamp white oak (Querctis platanoides). This species becomes a large tree, 

 100 feet in height and 36 inches in diameter. It is found along streams, but is 

 infrequent. The wood has the same qualities and uses as that of the white oak, 

 though it is coarser and more brittle. 



Chestnut oak {Quercus primis). The chestnut oak reaches a height of 90 feet 

 and a diameter of 40 inches. It is common on dry, and especially on sandy, slopes. 

 The wood is harder and more durable than that of the other oaks of this region 

 and is largely used for posts, railway ties, and insulator pins. The bark, which 

 is rich in tannin, is extensivel}" used in the manufacture of white leathers, 

 thousands of trees being yearly stripped to supply the demand. It seeds fre- 

 quently and in abundance, and reproduces freely. The rate of growth is slow, 

 the large trees often being 250 years old. 



Yellow oak {Quercus acuminata). The yellow oak reaches a height of 90 feet 

 and a diameter of 24 inches, and occurs rarely along the larger streams. The 

 wood has much the same quality and uses as that of the white oak. 



lied oak {Quercus ruhra).- This is the largest oak in the Southern Appala- 

 chians, frequently reaching a height of 130 feet and a diameter of more than 6 

 feet. It is common above 1,500 feet, but attains its greatest size in deep, cool 

 hollows on fertile soil, where it grows with the chestnut, linn, birch, and yellow 

 poplar. It is extensively sawed, and the wood is largeh^ used in the manufacture 

 of furniture, for interior finish, staves, and for buildings. It is a tree of rapid 

 growth, seeds frequently and freely, and reproduces well. 



Pin oak {Quercus pakistris). The pin oak is seldom more than 50 feet in 

 height and 20 inches in diameter. It is found only at a low elevation, along 

 streams flowing from the western slope of the Smoky Mountains. The wood is 

 coarse and porous, and even were the trees more common, would be little used. 



Spotted oak {Qttercus texana). The spotted oak is a tall, slender tree, often 

 110 feet high and 30 inches in diameter, growing in the larger valleys below an 

 elevation of 1,200 feet. It is not common, but reproduces well and grows rapidly. 



