84 FOREST TREES OF CALIFORNIA. 



and sound of rustling freshness to the wooing breeze, and this 

 in perfect harmony with the free open-hearted air of familiar 

 access favored by relatively fewer subdivisions of the spray; 

 this hearty expression of home-like welcome, whether decked 

 in emerald emblems of truth, or the good of golden Autumn's 

 yellow leaf, constitutes the peculiar charm of this oak. The 

 above outlined description will give some general idea of 

 this oak, a fuller will follow in the summary. Acorns soli- 

 tary, or several set nearly close down, oblong cylindroid, 

 abruptly pointed, one to one and one half inches long, about 

 one third less broad; shell horny in texture and color, 

 downy, set in a hemispherical cup, and usually very deep, 

 one half inch or more wide, and deeper still ; the flat, closely 

 shingled scales, egg-lanced, rather blunt, membranaceously 

 margined ; these are usually close-pressed except where the 

 roots reach an excess of water. 



A few trees of this oak are found near the coast; up to six 

 thousand five hundred, it is only a large bush — comes in as 

 a tree bearing acorns at six thousand three hundred. I am 

 assured by other observers that it grows up to seven thou- 

 sand five hundred, but do not now recall any such exam- 

 ples. The range of this tree is from the southern boundary 

 of the State throughout California to Eugene City, in Oregon. 

 As Dr. C. C. Parry remarks, "there are two varieties which 

 are only distinguishable by the fruit, which, in one, has a 

 large and prominent gland, while in the other the gland is 

 almost concealed by the cup, characters which seem to be 

 constant in the same individuals." 



To dwell upon the beautiful and varied surroundings of 

 any one of the trees, would lure us too far away from the 

 present purpose in writing. A word or so of allusion to the 

 ordinary and most common associations must suffice, for 

 examples are multiform. 



"The character of the landscape," says the honorable and 

 renowned observer, Humboldt, "always stands in mysterious 

 relation to the soul of man," even in its outmost natural 

 reflex. So, when the glory of Autumn comes down upon our 

 landscape, as with an elfin host rejoicing their farewell 

 thanksgiving in the gayest golden garb of the consummating 

 year, whether in lowland dale, over highland hill, or in the 

 great mountain valleys, what vast ecstatic settings of radiant 

 forest gems! even the poorest, relatively barren hill-sides, 

 become pictures of royal beauty under the magic touch of 

 her wand. Witness the dark-green clumps of Wild Tea-Bush, 

 bunches of brilliant scarlet berries that laden the light-green 

 rounded Toyon, forecasting the good Christmas times coming, 

 among abounding bush of blooming gray-green bosses of 

 manzanita, young of the deeper-green Pondrous Pine, all on 

 a ground of black or bright red soil, or the like, and every- 



