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6 The Trees of Great Britain and Ireland 



red or black oaks. I have noticed that a better union of stock and scion seems 

 to be produced by saddle- or cleft-grafting, than when the scion is inserted on one 



side of the stock. 



I collected acorns of a good many species about the end of September 1904, 

 in the Arnold Arboretum and other places in North America ; and found that by 

 packing them in small tin boxes in slightly damp moss, they arrived here in 

 good condition, though those of the white oak germinated on the voyage. 

 Nearly all of those which I sowed in a cold frame germinated and grew 

 well during the following summer ; but when planted out, many of them became 

 sickly and died, apparently from insufficient summer heat to ripen their wood. 



Loudon says that at the Leyton Nursery, near Stratford, there were in the 

 autumn of 1836 a great variety of American oaks, selected from the seed beds when 

 two years old and planted in rows. The variety and beauty of these exceeded 

 anything he ever saw, in spring when coming into leaf, in summer when in full 

 foliage, and in autumn when the leaves were dying off of every shade of scarlet, 

 yellow, and purple. They were mostly ten to twelve years from the acorn, and 

 with few exceptions were 20 - to 30 ft. high. Many of these were burnt for 

 want of purchasers, but, no doubt some of them survive in old places round 

 London, where there may be some uncommon trees that we have not been able to 

 discover. 



Though none of the English nurseries, as far as we know, now pay much 

 attention to the American oaks, yet they may be procured from American 

 nurseries at one or two years old, in autumn, when they travel safely, if well 

 packed ; but if older than this the roots are too large to transplant well. The 

 Earl of Ducie has probably planted more species and paid more attention to 

 them than any one in England, and at Tortworth there are young trees of 

 20 to 30 ft. high of Q. imbricaria, nigra, Kelloggii, and others, which are 

 growing fairly well in a sheltered hollow. The majority seem to prefer a deep 

 fertile soil, rather light than heavy, with little or no lime in it; and though we 

 have little experience as to their tolerance of shade in this country, yet if they 

 were planted in small clearings, in the shelter of a warm sunny wood, they would 

 probably succeed better than when exposed to cold winds in a north or east aspect. 

 The remarkable success of several American oaks at Lyndon near Oakham in an 

 exposed situation, shows what may be done in places where the conditions are not 

 specially favourable. 



The ultimate success of exotic trees which ripen their young wood badly in 

 youth, seems to be largely a question of the genial character of the first few 

 summers after planting, for if badly checked in their youth, they recover vigour 

 slowly or never. Care should be taken by judicious pruning when young, to train 

 them mto a good shape, for slow-growing oaks resent the pruning of large 



The healthy condition of the oak collection at Kew, which is by far the 

 most complete we know of. seems largely due to the care and skill which has 

 been given to them by a succession of able arboriculturists. 



