12 THE OAK. 



mighty tree in itself, would rend in pieces any less sub- 

 stantial support. For it must have been remarked by 

 every one who has looked thoughtfully on a full-grown 

 Oak, that the trunk does not divide into several smaller 

 ones, all approaching to a perpendicular direction ; but 

 that its unwieldy arms quit the bole almost horizontally, 

 so that the centre of gravity of each lies a long way with- 

 out the base of the tree, and is therefore constantly 

 exerting its utmost power to tear itself away from the 

 central column. This tendency to preserve a horizontal 

 direction is most conspicuous in a full-grown tree, owing 

 to the greater size of the object. But the peculiarity has 

 not escaped the curious eye of the artist, even in the 

 smallest twigs. " In the spray of trees," Gilpin remarks, 

 " ISTature seems to observe one simple principle ; which 

 is, that the mode of growth in the spray corresponds 

 exactly with that of the larger branches, of which, indeed, 

 the spray is the origin. Thus the Oak divides his boughs 

 from the stem more horizontally than most other decid- 

 uous trees ; the spray makes exactly, in miniature, the 

 same appearance, it breaks out in right-angles, or in 

 angles that are nearly so, forming its shoots commonly in 

 short lines, the second year's shoots usually taking some 

 direction contrary to that of the first. Thus the rudi- 

 ments are laid of that abrupt mode of ramification for 

 which the Oak is so remarkable. When two shoots 

 spring from the same knot, they are commonly of unequal 

 length ; and one with large strides generally takes the 

 lead. Very often, also, three shoots, and sometimes four, 

 spring from the same knot. Hence the spray of this tree 

 becomes thick, close, and interwoven ; so that at a little 

 distance it has a full, rich appearance, and more of the 

 picturesque roughness than w^e observe in the spray of 

 any other tree. The spray of the Oak generally springs 

 from the upper, or the lateral parts of the bough ; and it 

 is this which gives its branches that horizontal appearance 

 which they generally assume." 



