242 AMERICAN FOREST TREES 



a thick, dark, reddish-brown, or nearly black on old trunks, and divided 

 into broad rounded ridges, separating on the surface into small, closely 

 appressed scales. The bark of the tree is so dark in color and so deeply 

 furrowed that it has often been mistaken for one of the black oak group, 

 although its wavy leaf margins and annual fruit clearly differentiate it 

 from those species. The bark of the chestnut oak is thicker and rougher 

 on old trunks than on any other oak. 



The bark of chestnut oak has long been valuable for tanning. 

 There is tannin in the bark of all oaks, and several of them contain it in 

 paying quantities, but chestnut oak is more important to the leather 

 industry than any other oak. In richness of tannin the tanbark oak of 

 California occupies as high a place, but it is not supplying as much 

 material as the eastern tree. Statistics showing the annual consumption 

 of tanbark and tanning extracts in the United States, do not list the oaks 

 separately, but it is well known that chestnut oak far surpasses all 

 others in output. Hemlock bark is peeled in large quantities, but tan- 

 neries occasionally mix chestnut oak bark with it to lighten the deep 

 red color imparted to leather when hemlock bark is the sole material 

 employed. 



Large quantities of chestnut oak timber have been destroyed to 

 procure the bark. Fortunately, it is a practice not much indulged in at 

 present, because the wood now has value, but it formerly had little. 

 It was then abandoned in the forest after the bark was peeled and hauled 

 away. The same practice obtained with hemlock years ago. Much 

 chestnut oak is still cut primarily for the bark, but the logs are worth 

 hauling to sawmills, unless in remote districts. 



The chestnut oak is a vigorous tree and grows rapidly in dry soil, 

 where it often forms a great part of the forest. It is not as large 

 as the white oak or red oak, but is a splendid tree, its bole being very 

 symmetrical and holding its size well. It grows usually to a height of 

 from sixty to seventy feet and sometimes 100 feet, with a diameter of 

 from two to five feet and occasionally as large as seven feet. 



The form of the tree shows great variation, depending upon the 

 situation in which it grows. Trees in open ground often divide into 

 forks or large limbs, and the trunks are short and of poor form. Open- 

 grown trees show a decided tendency to develop crooked boles, and 

 unduly large branches. No such objection can be urged against it 

 when it grows under forest conditions. Trunks are straight and are 

 otherwise of good form. 



The wood of chestnut oak differs little from that of white oak in 

 weight, strength, and stiffness. It is hard, rather tough, durable in 

 contact with the soil, and is darker in color than white oak. It has few 



