i86 THE TIMBERS OF THE WORLD 



were cut down on Lord Chesham's estate at Latimer, Buckinghamshire. 

 One of these trees, measuring about 36 inches in diameter, appeared when 

 felled to be valueless on account of the white fluffy, decayed wood which 

 completely covered the trunk within a distance of an inch or two of the 

 bark. Upon cross-cutting from 3 to 4 feet through the tree was perfectly 

 sound, and of a very dark brown colour. 



Moreover, " brown oak " trees sometimes show signs of ill-health as 

 evinced in stag-headedness. Do these facts indicate that the browning 

 process is one of incipient decay caused by the fungus responsible for 

 that browning ? Stag-headedness is a symptom of various kinds of 

 diseases of the oak tree, some associated with wood-destroying fungi and 

 others not so, and it is very apt to occur on ordinary oak trees occupy- 

 ing light soils which are apparently unfavourable to the development of 

 " brown oak." Again, Professor Groom thinks that the fact that large 

 brown oak trees occur without showing any traces of decay in their hard, 

 firm " brown oak," accords with the feeble powers of attacking wood 

 substance shown by the browning fungus. On the other hand, there are 

 many kinds of wood-attacking fungi that cause decay in the sap-wood 

 and heart-wood of the oak tree. A number of them gain admittance 

 through wounds, and several can simultaneously attack heart-wood at 

 the same point. One or more of these may be responsible for the 

 rotting of " brown oak," and at present there is not the slightest reason 

 for beUeving that the fungus causing the production of " brown oak " 

 is responsible for such rotting, or that " brown oak " is wood in a 

 condition of incipient decay. The matter requires further investigation. 

 As only the heart-wood of the tree is affected, and the sap flows up 

 to the leaves exclusively in the sap-wood, it is not surprising that 

 trees containing " brown oak " show no external signs of its posses- 

 sion. The fact that " brown oak " owes its origin to a fungus, and 

 therefore arises only when the tree is infected, gives some explanation 

 of the distribution of " brown oak " trees and of " brown oak " in the 

 individual tree. 



Such trees are found in Great Britain in regions extending from 

 the south up to Scotland. A large number of old oaks in the northern 

 vicinity of London are infected. This has been particularly noticed at 

 Stanmore, Wembley, Edgware, Mill Hill, Totteridge, Enfield, Finchley, 

 Golders Green ; also at Radlett and Stoke Park. Many handsome trees 

 which developed the tortoise-shell pattern, and also the uniform brown 

 colour, were found in Stoke Park, Stoke Poges, and were all shipped to 

 America, some having since been utilised to form the panelling and 

 furniture in the City Hall, Chicago. It is significant that in Cassiobury 

 Park, close to several of the above-named places, where the soil is light, 

 no " brown oak " has been found. Light soil in general seems to be 



