1874 



ARBORETUM AND FRUTICETUM. 



PART III. 



luxuriance of its foliage.'* It 



is sometimes found 60ft. high, 



with a trunk about 3 it. in 



diameter; but, as it generally 



grows in poor rocky soil, it 



very seldom attains these di- 

 mensions. In open elevated 



situations, it spreads widely, , 



and forms a bead like that of "^ 



an apple tree. The bark on 



old trees is hard, thick, and 



deeply furrowed ; and the 



outer bark is equally good for 

 tanning as the inner bark. 

 The wood is reddish, like that 

 of the white oak; and, though its pores are more open, its specific 

 gravity is greater, a piece of its wood sinking in water, while a piece 

 of the same size of Q. alba will swim. The leaves, in America, are 

 5 in. or 6 in. long, and 3 in. or 4 in. broad; oval, and uniformly den- 

 tate, with the teeth more regular, but less acute, than those of Q. P. 

 palustris ; the leaf terminating in a point. When beginning to unfold 

 in spring, the leaves are covered with a thick white down, and they 

 appear somewhat wrinkled ; but, when fully expanded, they are per- 

 fectly glabrous, smooth, and of a delicate texture. The petiole, 

 which is rather short, is yellow, and the colour becomes brighter 

 and more conspicuous in autumn. The acorns are long, of an 

 oblong-oval shape : they are produced in pairs, on a short peduncle, 

 and are enveloped for about one third of their length in pear-shaped 

 cups, covered with loose scales. They are sweet, and of a clear 

 light brown colour. This oak, according to the younger Michaux, 

 is not one of those which grow promiscuously with other trees in 

 forests ; but it is found in small patches, in particular habitats, only 

 on high grounds, thickly strewed with stones, or covered with rocks. 

 " Thus it is often seen on the steep and rocky banks of the Hudson, 

 and on the shores of Lake Champlain ; and still more frequently on 

 the Alleghanies, in Pennsylvania and Virginia." On these moun- 

 tains, it is sometimes found where the soil is so meagre, that the 

 trees do not exceed 20 ft. or 25 ft. in height, and their trunks 8 in. 

 or 10 in. in diameter. In Pennsylvania, Virginia, and Maryland, 

 this species is known by the name of the chestnut oak; while on 

 the banks of the Hudson it is called the rock oak; and the younger 

 Michaux, combining the two names, calls it the rock chestnut oak. 

 It was introduced in 1800; and there are trees in the Horticultural 

 Society's Garden, and at Messrs. Loddiges's. The wood, though 

 too porous to be: used as staves for casks to contain spirituous 

 liquors, is esteemed, in New York, next to that of the white oak for 

 the construction of ships. It is employed for the knees and frames; 

 pieces adapted for which are rarely to be obtained from the white 

 oak; while the rock chestnut oak, "growing up," as Michaux says, 

 " in a continual controversy with the winds," produces a great 

 number of twisted and crooked branches, or large limbs, perfectly 

 well adapted for the purpose. It is also considered superior to any 

 other species, except the live oak, for fuel. The bark, at New York 

 and in Pennsylvania, is esteemed the best for tanning; but only that 

 of the secondary brain Iks, and of the trunks of young trees, is em- 

 ployed. Michaux suggests that the tree might grow in exposed 

 rockl places in Europe, where the acorns might be dropped in 

 envice-. in the rock.,, or planted in barren places, where the soil 

 appears incapable oi other cultivation. 



