CHAPTER XVIII. 
THE AMERICAN WHITE OAK TREE (Quercus alba). 
THIS tree derives its name from the pale ash colour of 
its bark, and is said to flourish in every variety of soil, 
but best upon open ground at a moderate elevation, 
some of the finest specimens being found in Maryland. 
It is abundantly spread over a very large tract of country, 
and, according to Michaux, it extends from the 28° to 
the 46° of North latitude, and towards the west to the 
State of Illinois. 
In the open grounds the trunk of this tree is of only 
moderate length, but in the forests it frequently attains 
the height of from 40 to 60 feet, clear of branches, with 
a circumference of from 7 to 8 feet, and very noble logs 
of timber are produced from it. Those which I have 
seen imported into this country have invariably been 
straight, and hewn to correspond in appearance with our 
English Oak “sided” timber; some of the logs were 
very large, but generally they varied from 25 to 4o feet 
in length, and from 12 to 28 inches in the siding or 
thickness. 
Thick-stuff of from 10 to 4% inches, and plank of 
4 to 2 inches, of very superior lengths, fair growth, and 
free from knots, have usually formed part of the ship- 
ments. There is, however, scarcely any compass timber 
to be found beyond the little that can be obtained from 
