THE WHITE OAKS 



By Joseph S. lUick 



THE oaks arc world famous. For many centuries they 

 helped civilized man in his conquests and industrial 

 enterprises. The ancients worshipped the mighty oak 

 and Socrates looked upon it as the "tree of knowledge." 

 The history and literature of England is closely asso- 

 ciated with the oak tree. The early Britons and later 

 conquerors held it in high regard. In America, the 

 Charter Oak holds a prominent place in our colonial 

 history. 



There are many majestic memorial oaks in the eastern 

 states under whose sturdy branches took place some of 

 the great historic events of our early national history. 

 Among them is the "Witness Tree"- still standing before 

 the Donegal Presbyterian church, in Lancaster county, 

 Pennsylvania, under whose spreading branches the mem- 

 bers swore allegiance to our country in June, 1777. 



Every woodsman and forester loves the Oaks. They 

 are admired for their physical sturdiness, great age, and 

 the high value of their wood. They are attractive at all 

 seasons of the year, whether in the first pale dress of 

 spring tinged with delicate pink, the deeper tones of 

 summer, the rich purple, scarlet or red of autumn, or 

 the dull brown of Indian summer. Perhaps the oaks are 

 most impressive and picturesque in winter when their 



mighty branches stand out boldly against the sky. No 

 other group of trees have such a commanding appear- 

 ance. 



Most of the oaks attain a great age and reach a large 

 size. Some European oaks are believed to be 1,000 years 

 old, and a few American specimens are known to exceed 

 500 years. The real merit of the oaks is in the excellent 

 wood that they produce. It has a wide range of com- 

 mercial uses, and holds a prominent place in almost every 

 American wood-using industry. 



The nuts and the bark of some oaks also have consid- 

 erable commercial value. The Indians, and the early 

 white settlers, used the white oak acorns for food. Dur- 

 ing the world war all the seeds produced by the oaks, 

 beech and chestnut of continental Europe and Great Bri- 

 tain were used by man. They furnished much-needed 

 food for man and domestic animals. In the olden days 

 the fattening of hogs on fallen acorns and beech nuts 

 was an established practice. In some forests as many 

 as 20,000 hogs were fattened every year. 



The bark of some oaks is rich in tannin while that of 

 others yields valuable dye material. The bark of the 

 Rock or Chestnut Oak is harvested annually in large 

 quantities. It is rich in tannin, which is manufactured 



Tins .MIGHTY WHITE OAK STANDS AL0.\G THE BRANDYWINE CREEK IN PENNSYLVANIA. IT IS 24 FEET IN CIRCUMFERENCE 

 AT THE GROUND, 80 FEET HIGH, AND HAS A BRANCH SPREAD OF 107 FEET. 



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