256 RED OAK CLASS 



injury, and when that is done while young it quickly over- 

 comes the shock. This being the case, propagation in the 

 nursery is entirely feasible, although planting the acorns 

 where the trees are to grow can be successfully carried out. 

 If planted in the nursery the seedlings should be removed 

 from the seed-bed when one year old and allowed to remain 

 in the transplant bed for one or two years as conditions 

 may dictate. The acorns require two years to mature. 

 Gathering and caring for them should be the same as for 

 other Oaks. When planted in the forest they should be 

 spaced about five feet apart to kill off the lower limbs. 



SOUTHERN RED OAK : Quercus texana 



FOR economic purposes this is doubtless the most im- 

 portant Oak in the Southern States. In character of wood 

 it ranks equally as high as that of the Northern Red Oak 

 (Quercus rubrci), to which it is closely allied, and it is 

 frequently found mingled with it in the southern forests. 

 While no definite information relative to the remaining 

 stand can be obtained, it is more than probable that it is 

 greater than that of the Red Oak of the North. 



Its natural range extends from southern Illinois and 

 Indiana down the valley of the Mississippi River to the 

 Gulf, spreading out westwardly to the mountains of Texas, 

 and eastwardly to Florida. Its region of best development 

 is along the bottom lands of the Mississippi River, on land 

 lying between the swamps and the adjacent higher ground. 

 In Texas it grows on the low hills as well as along streams. 

 Its forest companions are usually Red Gum, Elm, Cotton- 

 wood, Ash, and Hickory. The tree is of magnificent pro- 

 portions, frequently reaching a height of one hundred and 

 seventy-five feet, with a diameter of over seven feet. Larger 

 dimensions are reported. Like its Northern congener it is 

 light-demanding and a rapid grower, and it is otherwise quite 

 like that tree in general characteristics. Its leaves, however, 

 more closely resemble those of the Scarlet Oak. 



