250 



THE AMERICAK 



the middle, and sometimes again partially divi- 

 ded with smaller lobes. They are whitish or 

 pale on the under side, bright green and smooth 

 above, generally wedge-shaped at the base, and 

 with short stalks, seldom over half an inch long. 

 The cup is deep, saucer-shaped, roughened, and 

 enclosing about one-third the acorn, which is 

 smooth, oblong, and about two-thirds of an inch 

 long. The fruit is usually short stalked, fre- 

 quently two from the same stalk. 



[Fig. 1 



Biu-Oak, Orera\i> Oak— (Quercus macrocarpa, Michx.) 



The Bur Oak, or Overcup Oak, is mainly a 

 native of the Mississippi valley, extending spar- 

 ingly into some of the Eastern States. It is a 

 large tree, of irregular shape, with long angular 

 limbs, and bark rather rougher and darker than 

 the White Oak. It is the principal tree of the 

 oak openings of the "Western States, in which 

 situations the wood is coarse grained and brittle ; 

 but when growing in a dense forest the tree is 

 more regular in shape, and the timber of a bet- 

 ter quality. The leaves are obovate in outline, 

 broad at the top, and narrow at the base, with 

 three to five lobes on each side, the lower ones 

 small, and the divisions reaching nearly to the 

 midrib, the upper ones longer and broader. 

 The under surface is white with a fine down, 

 the upper surface glossy green. They are nar- 

 row, wedge-shaped at the base, and with stalks 

 an inch or more in length. The acorn is round- 



ish, about an inch long, and usually nearly 

 enclosed by the cup, which is deep, and exter- 

 nally rough, wilh pointed scales, at the edge 

 becoming long and loose to form a mossy fringe 



to the border. 



"""is: i-s 1 



Post Oak— (Quercus obtusiloba, Miclix,) 



The Post Oak is usually a much smaller tree 

 than either of the preceding. It is not very 

 common in the Northern States, but becomes 

 abundant at the South. In Southern Illinois 

 are large tracts of low, flat land, principally 

 covered mth this species, and hence called post 

 oak flats. Its wood is very compact and dur- 

 able, and is highly valued for making fence 

 posts. The leaves present considerable varia- 

 tion, being generally obovate in outline with 

 fewer and larger lobes than in either of the 

 preceding species. The upper part of the leaf 

 usually presents three large rounded lobes, be- 

 low is a triangular portion running to a point 

 at the ])ase. They are thick and leathery when 

 mature, and of a yellowish-gray color on the 

 under side. The acorns are smaller than those 

 of the "White Oak, one-half to two-thirds of an 

 inch long, and about half covered by the saucer- 

 shaped smooth cup. 



« « » 



As THE influence of flowers is always refin- 

 ing and ennobling, so the associations they bring 

 are always the purest and sweetest. Who can 

 imagine a person giving fiowers to any but a 

 friend? And did you ever know of a very bad 

 person who loved and cultivated flowers?— 

 Mrs. T. A. E. Holcomb. \x^VL 



