THE OAK. 277 
England. As seedling plants when sown in beds are apt to 
form bare tap-roots, which are difficult to remove with safety, 
this species of oak is generally grown in nurseries by being in- 
serted in small flower-pots, an acorn in each. The young plants 
are removed into larger pots in proportion to their growth, 
and are benefited by a slight protection from frost during the 
first three or four winters. Thus treated, they take to the 
ground immediately, and grow freely on being set in their 
final destination. 
The tree forms a very handsome evergreen. The foliage is 
abundant, of a rich dark green, having a fine polish, glossy 
above, with a downy tinge underneath. The tree blossoms in 
May and June, yielding male flowers or catkins, from one to 
two inches long, on the shoots of the former year, while the 
female flowers are produced on the newly-formed twigs; and 
the acorns come to maturity during the second year. This 
species endures the sea exposure better than any other European 
oak. It is also better suited for embellishment in large towns, 
as it grows in a smoky atmosphere better than most evergreens. 
The progress of different trees of the same age in different 
situations is very remarkable. This no doubt depends much 
on soil and situation, but very much also on the variety, for 
some kinds are known to vary as much in luxuriance of growth 
as they do in the appearance of their foliage; and all the 
varieties are not equally hardy. When the tree is allowed 
sufficient space, it commonly forms a gigantic bush, and con- 
ceals its trunk with its foliage, which it retains down to the 
surface of the ground. 
Its timber is tough and strong, and very heavy. In Spain 
it has a high reputation for knee-timber in shipbuilding : and 
it furnishes the best and most lasting charcoal. The finest 
specimens of the tree in South Britain are at Mamhead, where 
one measures eighty-five feet in height, and eleven feet in 
circumference ; another stands fifty-five feet high, and twenty- 
two feet round. In Scotland, at Newbattle Abbey, there 
is a tree forty-five feet high, with a trunk upwards of 
thirteen feet in circumference. The species is believed 
