OAK. 289 



The Black Oak class is characterized by leaves having acute 

 lobes and bristle-pointed teeth; acorns bitter, maturing the 

 second year, inner surface of shell of acorn woolly; wood por- 

 ous and brittle; roots spreading, seldom having clearly defined 

 tap roots except when young. 



Oak bark is used for tanning leather. The cork of com- 

 merce is the older bark of the Quercus suber of southern Europe. 

 Galls caused by insects puncturing the young and tender shoots 

 are produced on the branches of most oak trees, and are im- 

 ported in large quantities from Asia Minor, China and else- 

 where to be used in the manufacture of inks and dyes. The 

 bark of most species is tonic and astringent, and as a decoction 

 is sometimes employed as an external remedy. 



Oak is in general use for ship and car building, general con- 

 struction, canoes, carriages and wagons, furniture and finish- 

 ing, school apparatus, billiard tables, cooperage, gunstocks, 

 drawing instruments, pumps, cheese boxes, basket work, um- 

 brella sticks and canes. 



Propagation. All the species grow readily from seeds which 

 have been kept properly, but if allowed to get dry they are 

 liable to lose their vitality. The seedlings have tap roots often 

 three to four feet long when the top is not more than a foot 

 high. On this account the trees are often very difficult and un- 

 certain to transplant, but if the tap roots are cut off a foot from 

 the surface of the ground when the trees are one year old they 

 form side roots and then may be moved with a reasonable 

 degree of certainty within the next few years before they have 

 formed new tap roots. 



Quercus alba. White Oak. 



Leaves short petioled, oblong or obovate in outline, obliquely 

 cut into three to nine oblong or linear and obtuse mostly entire 

 lobes, smooth excepting when young, pale or glaucous under- 

 neath, bright green above, turning to a soft wine color in 

 autumn. Fruit an edible acorn maturing the first year, hence 

 borne on the shoot of the season, three-fourths to one inch 

 long, oblong, often peduncled, not more than one-third covered 

 by the hemispherical saucer-shaped naked cup which is rough 

 or tubercled at maturity. A noble and picturesque tree some- 

 times attaining a height of 100 feet with a trunk six feet in di- 

 ameter, but much smaller within our range. Its bark is rough, 

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