FIELD LIVE OAK'. 81 



ment-like, the margins shallow spinous holly-toothed as 



many others are; very convex above and rather smooth, 

 becoming of a dull lightish Leady hue or faded out on dry- 

 ing, and no finely netted veins; vaulted below, the main 

 mid-rib not usually a single continuous leader from base to 

 tip. but divides, spreading above like the tree itself, which, 

 in some lesser sense they represent, often hairy in the forks, 

 its stem short, etc. The loose tags of the male flowers, 

 longer than the leaves, six to ten stamens. Female flowers 

 with three to five long recurved styles, or recurve spreading. 

 Acorns on young, this year's growth, and therefore annual 

 (or sometimes holding over and ripening the following year, 

 or rarely having both old and new year's together, also 

 blooming again wholly or partially in September and 

 November, all at one time.) Acorns solitary, in pairs, or 

 clustered, set nearly close down on a thickened pedestal; 

 cup obconic, or turban-like, rather deep, often purplish or 

 beautifully rose-tinted, and satiny-silky within ; acorn ob- 

 long, gradually narrowing from base to top or long pointed ; 

 woolly inside the shell, little, abortive, bottle-like ovules 

 near the top, outside the skin of the meat. 



The timber is stronger than our white or black oak (Q. 

 lobata — Kelloggii) and many others; the twisted fibres are so 

 interlaced at the bifurcations, gnarled roots and elsewhere, 

 that its strength of resistance is truly tremendous; with due 

 preparation and care in seasoning, ranked among the best 

 of the' black oak section; of its durability less is known; as 

 wood it does not burn like " blazes," but gives out a graduated 

 heat well suited to domestic purposes, makes lasting coal, 

 and the bark, the best of all slow gentle fuel. Misinformed 

 Eastern friends record that it makes miserable timber and 

 even poor fire-wood, speaking of the tough interlaced fibres 

 when green; ivlicn dry, as the wood chopper well knows, it 

 splits free and clean, reversing the usual order of experience 

 in such cases. It is certainly the best kind of fuel known, 

 save only manzanita — it even burns tolerably well green, but 

 much better seasoned. In short, the only sound and sensible 

 objection to be urged against it is its scarcity. 



The golden west of the Pacific gives rare opportunities, if 

 not the best, for the study of sylvan habits. Here we witness 

 the widest range of variations in form, and the greatest 

 extremes in size, often in very close proximity; the self same 

 species is seen dwarfed from a lofty tree, to a few feet or even 

 inches, each equally fruit-bearing; such observations tend 

 greatly to disturb preconceptions, and remove prejudice, and 

 so enlarge the area of freedom to our sylvan ideas, at least. 

 This may be illustrated anywhere in the vicinity, and some- 

 what in the city limits of San Francisco; e. g., this Field 

 Live Oak in Lone Mountain — large trees two feet in diameter 

 11 



