THE OAKS 49 



pelago. No Old World species is native to America. 

 Each continent has its own. 



East of the Rocky Mountains the oaks hold a place of 

 preeminence among broad-leaved trees. They are trees of 

 large size, and they often attain great age. They are 

 beautiful trees, and therefore highly valued for ornamental 

 planting. This has led to the introduction of oaks from 

 other countries. We have set European, Japanese, and 

 Siberian oaks in our finest parks. Europe has borrowed 

 from our woods the red oak and many others. All coun- 

 tries are richer by this horticultural exchange of trees. 



Our native oaks fall into two groups : the annual-fruit- 

 ing and the biennial-fruiting species. The first group 

 matures its acorns in a single season ; the second requires 

 two seasons. It happens that annuals have leaves with 

 rounded lobes, while biennials have leaves with lobes that 

 end in angles and bristly tips. The bark of the annual 

 trees is generally pale; that of the biennials, dark. Hence 

 the white oak group and the black oak group may be 

 easily distinguished at a glance, by the bark, the leaf, and 

 the acorn crop. 



THE WHITE OAK GROUP 



The White Oak 



Quercus alba, Linn. 



The white oak has no rival for first place in the esteem 

 of tree-lover and lumberman. Its broad, rounded dome, 

 sturdy trunk, and strong arms (see illusirafiofi, page SS), 

 and its wide-ranging roots enable a solitary tree to resist 



