128 THE TREE BOOK 



ily. Close beside it is another member of the 

 family. It is a sturdy tree, with "an tiered 

 arms." Its bark is warty and ridged, and the 

 leaf is almost cut in two by a pair of deep wide 

 hollows that come near the midrib on opposite 

 sides. This tree is the bur oak. It bears the 

 largest acorns of the white oak family. They 

 are half-hidden in deep mossy fringed cups. 

 Such fine doll cups and bowls and what not as 

 these acorns make ! "Watch out for them when 

 they are ripe and see what your busy fingers 

 can fashion. 



In the boggy regions of the East and South, 

 there is a quaint cousin of the bur oak^ which 

 has the odd fashion of shedding the bark of its 

 young branches. This tree often grows to a 

 great size and is remarkably long-lived. It is 

 called the swamp white oak. The chestnut oak, 

 with its long tapering acorns sheltered in a 

 downy lined cup, and its bark rich in the tannic 

 acid so valuable in the preparing of leather, is 

 another member of the white oak family, com- 

 monly found in the Eastern states. The beau- 

 tiful evergreen live-oak of the southland also 

 belongs to the white oak group. It is a stately 

 tree, covered with dancing leaves, which depart 

 from the usual oak-family custom in being oval 

 instead of scalloped. 



