240 WHITE OAK CLASS 



it is frequently the prevailing tree. While growing in the 

 New England States, it does not appear to be very evenly dis- 

 tributed or very abundant there. It flourishes best in deep, 

 rich soil, but will grow on dry, sterile, and even rocky 

 slopes and hillsides. In its best development it has been 

 found one hundred feet high and six feet in diameter, but 

 trees of these dimensions can be seen only in rich soils, 

 and rarely there. In poor soils it is much smaller, seldom 

 over three feet in diameter or more than fifty feet in height ; 

 while in some localities it does not exceed ten inches in 

 diameter, with a height of not over thirty or forty feet, 

 even at the age of one hundred years. 



It is light-demanding, and unless closely crowded during 

 early life it branches out anywhere from six to fifteen feet 

 above the ground with somewhat specialized limbs. "When 

 not crowded, it frequently grows crooked. When young its 

 bark is quite smooth, but as age increases, the bark becomes 

 deeply furrowed vertically, more so than on any other Oak. 

 The dead bark does not scale off, and it will frequently 

 be found nearly if not quite three inches thick. At best 

 the tree is a rather slow grower. 



Its wood is tough, heavy, hard, strong, durable, rather 

 close-grained, and with conspicuous medullary rays. It has 

 few open ducts and requires less " filler " for a good finish 

 than most Oaks. When finished without stain, its hard, 

 satiny, and lustrous surface is deemed superior to White 

 Oak. The color of the heartwood is rather darker than the 

 average of White Oak, with a light-colored sapwood. One 

 serious drawback to its usefulness as a finishing-wood is 

 its tendency to check when seasoning. This can be largely 

 overcome by proper piling. In substantially all respects the 

 wood is used for the same purposes as White Oak, and for 

 fuel is superior to any other Oak. 



It is not a prolific seeder, and as the acorns are sought 

 by squirrels and mice, its natural reproduction is slow. It 

 has a tap-root which will prevent successful transplanting 

 from the nursery ; hence its reproduction can best be brought 



