196 



FLORA AND SYLVA. 



THE GREATER TREES OF THE 

 NORTHERN FOREST. — No. 16. 

 THE COMMON OAK {Quercus pe- 

 aunculatd) . 



King of the Northern Forest, from its 

 use, beauty, and associations, it is in all 

 ways the most precious of our native 

 trees. The beauty of the Oak is evident 

 in many parts of our country, differing, 

 too, according to place, its effect in the 

 south, for instance, not being the same 

 as in the midlands, where the trees are 

 more stately though their wood is no 

 better, if, indeed, as good. In chase, or 

 park, or lawn, nothing can be finer than 

 our picturesque sentinel Oaks; but one 

 noble aspect of the tree, not so often 

 seen with us, is its tall forest dignity. 

 Owing to the trees being so often set 

 apart, and to the underwood culture 

 which encourages them to branch out, 

 we do not so often see those superb 

 erect trees such as may be found in the 

 great French forests like Fontainebleau, 

 Marly, and Bercy, where the Oaks are 

 noble in stature as well as in size, and 

 over 100 feet high. Where Oaks are 

 massed in this way the effect of the 

 lichen-silvered stems in winter is fine, 

 and in spring is even better, where the 

 ground is carpeted with Primroses and 

 Ladies' Smocks, Dog Violets, and Wood 

 Hyacinths. To treat of the literature of 

 the Oak in anything like completeness 

 would require a goodly volume; I pro- 

 pose, therefore, to deal only with matters 

 essential in planting and the enjoyment 

 of the Oak wood. 



The choice of land upon 

 which to grow Oak is im- 

 portant, for neither natural nor artificial 



planting will succeed in certain soils. 

 The best soils are cool clays and loams, 

 and the iron-soaked soils so common in 

 the weald of Sussex and in Kent. A deep 

 soil is not necessary if the subsoil is 

 cool. Dry and poor sandy soils are dead 

 against the Oak. Happily there are large 

 areas in which there is the right kind of 

 soil, and many of the poor clays and 

 cold, hungry loams that were broken 

 up in better times might now be well 

 planted with Oak, for this tree is for all 

 time likely to be the most valuable that 

 we can grow. Nothing that the wit of 

 man could devise pays so well as an Oak 

 wood in many districts of Britain. Oak 

 will grow very well on fine rich loams, 

 but the best quality is grown upon soils 

 which, although cool, cannot rightly be 

 classed as good loams. As regards drain- 

 age, upon which stress is so often laid, 

 the growth of the Oak is proof to me 

 that drainage is not necessary. In my 

 woods, and in the district around, the 

 Oak is as good in quality as has ever 

 been cut, although the ground it grows 

 upon is saturated in winter and, indeed, 

 for a great part of the year. 



If we watch what goes on 

 under agrove ofOaks after 

 a good year of acorns and 

 in places not too much exposed to crea- 

 tures that store them away, we see a 

 vigour of growth from seed such as no 

 other tree can surpass. These, be it ob- 

 served, are uncovered acorns, and, see- 

 ing this, who need be afraid to take the 

 simple way with acorns? The plan I 

 have practised with success is to scatter 

 acorns over a field of likely ground and 

 then run the plough through the field 



Increase and 

 Growth. 



