AMERICAN FOREST TREES 267 



Texan red oak is heavier than its northern relative, hard, light, 

 reddish-brown, much of it of rapid growth, with wide, clearly defined 

 annual rings. The medullary rays are prominent, and show well in 

 quarter-sawing. The best of the wood is as strong as red oak, and com- 

 pares favorably with it in physical properties. 



One of the most exacting uses of wood is for fixtures, such as 

 counters in stores, bars in saloons, partitions in banks and counting 

 rooms, and standing desks in offices. Extra wide and long pieces are 

 required, and they must show satisfactory figure, and be finished to 

 harmonize with the interior of the room where they are placed. Texan 

 red oak is selected by builders in many southern cities for that class of 

 fixtures, and it meets the requirements. It is used also for interior 

 finish and furniture, and stair work. 



Like most members of the black oak group, the wood is inclined 

 to rot quickly in damp situations, but it measures well up to the average 

 of the group to which it belongs. It is often employed in the South as 

 bridge material, particularly as flooring for wagon bridges, where the 

 wood's hardness is its chief recommendation. Much is converted into 

 flooring for halls, houses, and factories. 



The available supply of this valuable wood in the forests of the 

 South is not known, but there is little doubt that it exists in larger 

 quantities than any other species of oak within its range. Perhaps in 

 total quantity it exceeds red oak (Quercus rubra) in the whole United 

 States. It is quite generally distributed over an area exceeding 300,000 

 square miles, and toward the western part, it is the prevailing oak. The 

 future of this oak is assured. It is now cut at a rapid rate, and doubtless 

 the annual growth falls short of the yearly demand; but it occurs in a 

 range so extensive that scarcity will not come for a long period. If the 

 time ever comes in the South when planted timber must be depended 

 upon to meet the needs of the people, this oak will fill an important place 

 in woodlots. It does not grow as rapidly as willow oak, but its range is 

 more extensive, and it possesses certain desirable properties not found 

 in willow oak. The acorns are rather poor mast, and this is in the tree's 

 favor, for the seed will be left to grow instead of being devoured by hogs 

 and small animals of the woods. In that respect it has an advantage 

 over cow oak and the other white oaks which occupy parts of its 

 range. Their acorns are sought as food by domestic and wild animals. 

 Texan red oak prunes itself well when it grows in close stands, but is low 

 and limby when it occupies open ground. The trunks vary in form, but 

 are inclined to enlarge at the base, particularly when they grow in low, 

 damp situations, as many of the best do in the South. 



GEORGIA OAK (Quercus georgiana) is one of the minor oaks of the South and 



