THE BEECH, CHESTNUT, AND OAKS 



a town in Thessaly, and the specific name, 

 dentala (having teeth), refers to the serrations 

 of the leaf. The chestnut is found throughout 

 the Northeastern States. 



Oaks There are in all nearly three hun- 



Quercus dred different oaks which have 

 been described by botanists, and fifty of these 

 are found in North America, exclusive of Mex- 

 ico. The oaks are large trees of temperate 

 climates, and both in Europe and America few 

 trees have the same varied and general useful- 

 ness. The extraordinary strength in the great, 

 horizontal branches, their breadth and lateral 

 sweep, and the rugged boldness of the trunk 

 have long associated the oak with all that stands 

 for strength, duration, and unswerving vitality. 

 An oak never seems out of place; no matter 

 whether we find it growing in unbroken forests, 

 on a country estate, in a little garden, or by the 

 roadside, it always harmonizes with its sur- 

 roundings and adds to the composition of the 

 landscape. 



Oaks are divided into two groups, the white 

 oaks and the black oaks. In New England 

 there are eleven native oaks, six white oaks and 

 five black. The white oak, the swamp white, the 

 mossy cup, the chestnut, the dwarf chestnut, 

 and the post oak belong to the first group, and 

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