1246 The Trees of Great Britain and Ireland 



On the Continent it succeeds even better than in England, and is commonly 

 planted in the parks and pleasure grounds of France, Germany, and Belgium. The 

 largest tree I have seen is at the Chiteau de Longchamps in Belgium, where Baron 

 de Selys Longchamps showed me a splendid tree grafted on the common oak at 

 about 4 ft. from the ground, and measuring no less than no ft. by 12 ft. in 1908. 



Timber 



Though the wood of this tree is not highly valued in the United States in 

 comparison with that of the white oak, on account of its want of durability, 

 yet for interior work it seems a good timber, on account of its delicate 

 pinkish colour and handsome silver grain when quartered. Owing to the 

 increased scarcity of white oak it is now largely imported to this country, and often 

 mixed with parcels of boards of other species and sold as American oak. So little 

 is known about its true qualities, that at a recent trial in London, an architect stated 

 in evidence that it was grown in swamps and was subject to dry rot. The former 

 statement is certainly incorrect, and for the latter we can find no foundation ; though 

 no doubt badly-seasoned wood of this tree would rot like any other if put into damp 

 buildings. The wood of a tree which was grown at Woolbeding in Sussex, and 

 kindly given me by Archdeacon Elwes, was very easy to rend on account of its 

 straight grain, and had the same pink tinge as the American-grown wood. 



We abstract the following from a paper by Prof. Mohr : ^ The heartwood of the 

 red oak is reddish, porous, and of coarse grain. The wide pores in the cross-section 

 mark the annual rings in three or four rows. The medullary rays are conspicuous, 

 but comparatively few. The wood is heavy, strong, and hard, inclined to shrink 

 and check when drying. The structure of the wood not being homogeneous, the 

 wood in drying parts with its moisture unequally, the water being retained in some 

 parts much more than in others. The wood thus retains moisture, and when dried 

 readily reabsorbs moisture ; and this explains its liability to decay. In strength the 

 wood is scarcely inferior to white oak, but its want of durability prevents its applica- 

 tion for many purposes. Perfectly dried red oak has a specific gravity averaging 

 0-652, varying from 0-540 to 0-748; and a cubic foot of air-dry wood weighs 

 40-75 lb. In its mechanical properties, it compares favourably with the more 

 valuable hardwoods. In its resistance to longitudinal compression, it is equal to 

 white oak. In elasticity it surpasses white oak ; and in ultimate strength (resist- 

 ance to transverse pressure) it is slightly superior to white oak. In hardness, i.e. 

 resistance to indentation, it falls far below white oak ; and this want of hardness 

 renders red oak unfit for cross-ties. Nails exposed to its acid watery juice easily 

 rust, and this sometimes prevents its use in construction. 



The wood is very desirable for interior finish and furniture. When sawn on 

 the quarter it has a beautiful grain, and is little less valuable than white oak for 

 cabinet-work. 



Red oak timber has been u^ed extensively from the time of the earliest settle- 



' MS. in the Bureau of Forestry, Washington, D.C. 



