THE WHITE OAK AND OTHER SPECIES. 161 



The leaves of this tree bear some resemblance to those 

 of the chestnut. They are almost entire, and bluntly- 

 serrated, rather than scalloped. They are of a slightly 

 reddish green when mature, and turn to a leather-color in 

 the autumn. Trees of this species are at the present 

 time very prominent objects of the landscape in East- 

 ern Massachusetts, where they are very frequent in half- 

 cleared lands that lie only a little above the sea level and 

 contain considerable clay. The Swamp Oak in some 

 favorable soils attains great size ; but in New England, 

 though an interesting object in scenery, it is only a tree 

 of second magnitude. The Chestnut Oak is not uncom- 

 mon around New Bedford and many other parts of New 

 England, but it is not an inhabitant of -the woods near 

 Boston. 



THE RED OAK. 



The Eed Oak is the largest of the genus belonging 

 to American woods, and the least useful for any pur- 

 poses except those of shade and ornament. It is very 

 regular and well proportioned, having a remarkably wide 

 spread, and branches comparatively but little contorted. 

 It is taller than the white oak, and does not branch 

 so near the ground; but it possesses in a high degree 

 that expression of majesty for which the oak is cele- 

 brated. The scarcity of trees of this species by our road- 

 sides is remarkable, since they display the union of so 

 many of the qualities which are desirable in a shade- 

 tree. The Eed Oak thrives well on a poor soil, and 

 grows with great rapidity; its foliage is very beautiful, 

 and deeply cleft, like that of the scarlet oak, though 

 larger, and its reddish-purple tints in the autumn are 

 hardly inferior. Perhaps the scarcity of oaks in gen- 



