THE OAK. 183 
THE WILLOW OAK. 
The willow oak grows to the height of fifty or sixty 
feet. Its leaves very much resemble those of the willow. 
The wood is very coarse-grained and strong, but it is 
not fit for fuel. If any amateur has any curiosity on 
the subject of this tree I would advise him to cultivate 
it, but that is the only time I would recommend it for 
cultivation. 
THE LAUREL OAK. 
This tree usually reaches from forty to fifty feet in 
height, and is about two feet in diameter. It much re- 
sembles the laurel in its foliage, and so takes its name. 
It is used in rural districts for rails ; sometimes for house- 
frames. The wood is coarse-grained and not valuable. 
THE BLACK-JACK OAK. 
The only use I ever found this tree put to was for 
fuel, and as such it is esteemed more than any other of 
the oak family. It is a small tree, with generally a 
very crooked trunk. It grows in any soil, but is found 
in the most barren. It seldom exceeds thirty feet in 
height. 
THE SPANISH OAK. 
This tree is sometimes confounded with the red oak, 
whose wood it very much resembles. It is common in 
the maritime parts of the Southern States and southern 
Illinois, but is scarce in the Mississippi valley. In fa- 
vorable situations it becomes a large tree. 
THE LIVE-OAK. 
The famous live-oak is found only in the Southern 
States, more especially in Florida. It is more esteemed 
for ship-building than any tree known. It is, like the 
cork oak, an evergreen. It frequently reaches from 
eighty to ninety feet in height, and from five to six feet 
in diameter. 
