FOREST TREES. 133 
Maple, Willow, or some other tree easily raised. In 
England, trees planted in this way among Oaks are 
termed nurses, though there the practice is to plant 
the nurses first. The Scotch Pine is preferred as a 
nurse by many, as the protection it affords is thought 
to accelerate the growth of the Oaks. 
1. Quercus alba —White Oak. 
Mature leaves, smooth, pale or glabrous underneath, 
bright green above, obovate-oblong, cut into three 
to nine lobes; cup, hemispherical, saucer-shaped, 
rough or tubercled at maturity, naked, much shorter 
than the acorn. 
The White Oak is found in most parts of the 
United States east of the Mississippi, although in 
some sections it is by no means abundant. It is said 
to be rare in Kansas and Nebraska, where the Chin- 
capin, or Yellow Oak (Q. castanea), takes its place. 
In the States of Illinois and Iowa, it is seldom found 
upon the richest soils. It most commonly grows 
upon a yellow or ash-colored loam of moderate fer- 
tility. A belt of this kind of soil, with a surface 
more or less uneven, extends along the streams 
between the bottom lands and the prairies, and also 
occurs in other localities. On this soil the White 
Oak constitutes the principal growth of timber. 
When fully developed, the White Oak is one of the 
largest and noblest trees of its genus, and with, per- 
haps, the exception of the White Pine, is the most 
useful tree found in the United States. Wherever 
strength, compactness, and durability are required, 
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