THE OAK, 263 
superior. One of the evergreen species, Q. suber, a native of 
Spain, yields the-cork of commerce. The common deciduous 
species possess the property, when cut down, of springing 
freely from the surface of the ground, which renders them 
valuable in coppice. In this article it is necessary that we 
confine our remarks to a few of the more prominent species ; 
and that deserving of precedence is the British oak. 
Q. Robur (Linneus) : The British Oak.—This is the most 
celebrated tree of the tribe. It is indigenous to Britain, and 
throughout many parts of Europe. It comprehends many 
varieties, two of which are so distinct that botanists frequently 
rank them as species, namely, @. 2. pedunculata and Q. RB. 
sessiliflora. The former yields the acorns on fruit-stalks; in 
the latter the acorns are sessile—it yields flowers and acorns 
close to the branches without fruit-stalks. The first is the 
most approved tree, as it produces the best timber. The 
timber of sessiliflora bears a strong resemblance to that of the 
Spanish chestnut, and the tree is more apt to retain its 
withered leaves during the winter. Its greatest recommenda- 
tion is, that it grows more freely than the other sorts when 
young, particularly in an inferior soil and situation ; but after- 
wards the difference in the growth of the trees, and in their 
ultimate size, is hardly perceptible. Pedunculata is the more 
common tree, both in natural and planted woods throughout 
Britain ; but intermediate varieties of the tree are often 
met with. 
From the earliest accounts we have of British oaks, it 
appears that the forests were chiefly valued on account of the 
acorns they produced, which were generally consumed in 
feeding swine and other domestic animals, while in years of 
scarcity they were used as human food. The year of great 
famine, 1116, is described in the Saxon Chronicles as “a very 
heavy timed, vexatious, and destructive year ;” and the failure 
of mast is thus recorded :—“ This year, also, was so deficient in 
mast, that there was never heard such in all this land or in 
Wales.” 
The British oak is invariably propagated by seed; and, in 
