Quercus 1225 



planted as forest trees. The most valuable in America, the white oak, seems 

 unable to live for more than a few years in any part of this country ;" and none 

 of the group to which it belongs, so far as we know, have ever attained a size 

 which would justify our advising them for general cultivation. 



Q. virginiana, Miller, the live oak of North America, which is widely spread in 

 the southern United States and in Mexico, differs only slightly in botanical char- 

 acters from Q. Ilex) but is not hardy in England, although Loudon,^ who refers to 

 it as Q. virens, Alton, states that there was a tree of it at Kew, 40 to 50 ft. high, in 

 1838. This tree was no doubt Q. Ilex. There is no specimen now at Kew; and 

 Mr. Bean^ reports that living plants imported in recent years have died even in 

 mild winters. Bunbury^ says that one planted at Barton, Suffolk, was speedily 

 killed. 



Though several of the Californian oaks* have been introduced, and a few are 

 living at Kew, Tortworth, and elsewhere, they do not grow with the same vigour 

 which many of the conifers of the west coast of America have shown, and probably 

 require a much warmer and drier summer climate. Q. Garryana, Hooker, Fl. Bor. 

 Am. ii. 159 {1839), is a large and picturesque tree, found along the Pacific slope, 

 from British Columbia, Vancouver Island, and Washington, where it is the only 

 species known, through Oregon to the Santa Cruz mountains in California. So far 

 as we know, it has never been tried in England, which is remarkable, considering 

 how easy it would be to procure acorns. It might possibly succeed well in our 

 climate. According to Schneider, Laubholzkunde, i. 206 (1904), who mentions a 

 plant in the Darmstadt Botanic Garden, it was recently introduced into Germany 

 by C. A. Purpus. 



Of the group, known as the red and black oaks, several have been fairly 

 successful ; and though, with the exception of Q. rubra, not often planted at the 

 present time, they are well worth more attention than they receive, on account of 

 the beautiful colour of their leaves in autumn. 



Most of the American oaks which were grown by Loddiges and other English 

 nurserymen seventy to eighty years ago, were propagated by grafting on the 

 common oak close to the ground; but now that acorns can be procured so 

 much more quickly through the post, it would seem better to raise them from 

 seed. Although the practice of grafting is not to be recommended for many 

 genera of trees, yet we have seen many instances of oaks grafted close to the 

 ground on suitable stocks, which have produced fine and sometimes very large 

 trees. The main points seem to be that the stock shall be a vigorous one, with 

 good fibrous roots which have not been stunted in pots; and that the species 

 selected for the stock should be suited to the scion, and to the soil. 

 Quercus pedunculata is a good stock, on strong land, for species allied to it, 

 Q. sessiliflora for lighter soil ; Q. Cerris for the species with mossy cups ; Q. Ilex 

 for the evergreen oaks of the Mediterranean region ; Q. rubra for the American 



1 Arb. et Frut. Brit. iii. 1918 (1838). ^ The Garden, Ixv. 386 (1904)- ' Arboretum Notes, 113 (1889). 



« Q. Gambelli, Nuttall, a small tree, rarely exceeding 25 ft. in height, is widely spread at high elevations in Colorado, 

 Utah, Nevada, Arizona, Texas, and New Mexico. It does not appear to have been introduced into Europe (cf. Schneider, 

 Laubhokkunde, i. 204). The leaves are figured in Plate 333, Fig. 7. 



2 G 



