464 



AMERICAN FORESTRY 



than the live oak or the valley oak, but because it is 

 adapted to so much wider range of territory. It is native 

 as far west as Kansas, Nebraska and Oklahoma, and may 

 be grown wherever sufficient moisture can be supplied. It 

 thrives in western Oregon and Washington, but is not 

 common near the South Atlantic and Gulf coasts. This 

 is probably more due to soil conditions than to climatic 

 conditions. Because of the excellence of the live oak, 

 laurel oak and billow oak, which do especially well in 

 this region, the white oak is not missed. It forms a broad 

 rounded head when allowed to develop without being 

 c r o w d e d, its 

 lower limbs ex- 

 tending hori- 

 zontally with- 

 out much ten- 

 dency to droop. 



Because o f 

 this and its 

 slower growth 

 it has not been 

 used much as a 

 street tree. Its 

 bark is very 

 light colored 

 and somewhat 

 rough. Its 

 leaves h a v e a 

 tendency to 

 hang on well 

 into the winter. 

 It is deserving 

 of much more 

 extended plant- 

 ing as a lawn 

 and park tree 

 than has been 

 the practice. 



The red oak 

 is a useful or- 

 namental tree 

 except in those 

 regions ap- 

 proaching 

 sub- tropical 

 conditions or 

 where rainfall 

 is deficient and irrigation is not practical. Its leaves are 

 large, dark, shiny green, and the lobes have prickles at 

 the ends. Its foliage assumes a dark red hue in the au- 

 tumn. It is a rapid growing tree, trees three years planted 

 on the streets of Washington, D. C, having made a 

 growth of four feet in one season. It likes heavy soils 

 and responds to good care. It forms a large oval top and 

 its branches are inclined to be .upright. Its bark is dark 

 greenish gray and smooth. 



It is one of the few trees that thrive well close to the 

 ocean, being one of a half-dozen that come in naturally 



on newly formed islands along the Atlantic Coast. This 

 suggests its use for all types of ornamental planting near 

 the ocean and it may suggest its adaptability for use upon 

 slightly alkaline soils. However, as it is not well adapted 

 to semi-arid conditions this character would not be likely 

 to be of value as the application of sufficient water to in- 

 sure its growth would probably eliminate the alkalinity. 



It is admirably suited for lawns and parks as well as for 

 roadside planting and city streets. It should be planted 

 instead of silver maples, where the use of the latter is 

 contemplated. The red oak and the black oak are rather 



difficult to dis- 

 tinguish from 

 one another in 

 many of their 

 forms, but for 

 a 1 1 practical 

 purposes there 

 is no need for 

 such distinc- 

 tion. 



The pin oak 

 is another of 

 the large- 

 leaved oaks 

 with prickles. 

 It is often 

 found in more 

 moist situations 

 than other oaks 

 in the northern 

 states and so is 

 sometimes 

 called swamp 

 oak. Its leaves 

 are more finely 

 cut than those 

 of the red oak 

 and are apt to 

 be smaller. 

 They are a 

 dark glossy 

 greet), turning 

 a brilliant red 

 in the fall, and 

 usually hang on 

 all winter after 



THE WHITE OAK 



Although the white oak has the reputation of being a slow growing tree, and is slower 

 than many other oaks, it is as rapid a grower as the sugar maple. . 



turning brown. The pin oak makes a large oval-headed 

 tree, but the lower branches have a tendency to droop 

 with age. It is handsome, giving a more airy general ef- 

 fect than the red oak. It is especially adapted to lawn 

 and park planting, and also for country roads and city 

 streets, although for the latter purpose its value as com- 

 pared with the red oak is over-rated ; but it is much better 

 than poplars or silver maples even as a street tree. It 

 thrives on heavy clay soils as well as on those much 

 lighter. 



The scarlet oak is somewhat intermediate in foliage be- 



