182 TREES AND TREE-PLANTING. 
THE BLACK OAK. 
This is one of our largest and loftiest trees, being 
ninety feet or more in height, and from five to six feet 
in diameter. Its wood is rather coarse-grained, but pos- 
sesses considerable strength and durability. It is es- 
teemed next to the live-oak. Its bark is used for dyeing 
and also for tanning, being very rich in tannic acid. 
This tree ripens its fruit biennially. As is the case with 
all the trees that ripen their fruit biennially, the quality 
of the timber is inferior to that of the timber that ripens 
its fruit annually. It is found all over the United States, 
and flourishes in poorer soils than the white oak. It is 
the only one of the oak family that grows on the barren 
sand-ridges of Illinois. 
THE SCARLET OAK. 
Some botanists call the scarlet oak merely a variety 
of the black oak; but it differs in some particulars, 
viz., the leaves turn to a bright red in the fall; the 
acorns have a white kernel, and not yellow, as in the 
black oak. The wood is of a very poor quality, and for 
fuel and timber I cannot say that it is to be recommend- 
ed very highly for cultivation. 
THE RED OAK. 
Height, eighty feet; diameter, six feet; and is the 
fastest-growing of the oaks. Is a very handsome and 
ornamental tree, and will grow on almost any soil, either 
rich or poor. It is found all over the United States. The 
wood is coarse-grained, of a red color, open pores, and 
of little durability. It is sometimes used when timber 
is not abundant. 
THE PIN OAK. 
This is a large, ornamental tree, coarse-grained, open- 
pored, and not very durable. It thrives best in moist 
ground. It has a conical head and a light-green, beau- 
tiful foliage. 
