26 THE OAK. 



vexatious, and destructive year,' aud the failure of the 

 mast in that season is particularly recorded : ' This year, 

 also, was so deficient in mast, that there never was heard 

 such in all this land, or in Wales.' " 



The acorns of the Balonia Oak (Querciis JEyilops) are 

 annually brought to England from the Levant and the 

 Morea, and are in great demand for tanning, being said 

 to contain more tannin in a given bulk of vegetable than 

 any other substance. 1 The cups of this acorn are much 

 larger than those of our British species, and are covered 

 externally with long reflexed scales. 



I have not yet spoken of the application of the various 

 parts of the Oak to the arts of civilized life, it having been 

 my object to devote as much of my space as possible to 

 the tree in its natural state. But inasmuch as a notice of 

 any tree, and especially this King of Trees, would be of 

 necessity considered imperfect without at least some few 

 remarks on this head, I will proceed to give a brief history 

 of the general uses to which the wood and other parts of 

 the Oak may be applied. 



The particular and most valued qualities of the Oak are 

 hardness and toughness. Shakespeare uses two epithets to 

 express these qualities, which are perhaps stronger than 

 any we can find : 



" Thou rather with thy sharp and sulph'rous bolt 

 Splitt'st the unwedgeable and gnarled Oak 

 Than the soft Myrtle." 



" Many kinds of wood are harder, as Box and Ebony ; 

 many kinds are tout/her, as Yew and Ash ; but it is sup- 

 posed that no species of wood, at least no species of timber, 

 is possessed of both these qualities together in so great a 

 degree as British Oak. Almost all arts and manufactures 

 are indebted to it; but in ship-building and bearing 

 burdens, its elasticity and strength are applied to most 



1 The cups of this Oak, called " valonia," are now so extensively 

 used, that Oak-bark has materially deteriorated in value. 



