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XLI. Observations on the Quality of the Oak Timber produced in 

 Great Britain. By William Atkinson, Esq. F. H. S. 



Read January 15, 1833. 



There are only two species of Oak that are considered as natives 

 of Great Britain and Ireland — the Quercuspedunculata, and Quercus 

 sessiliflora. Professor Martyn in his edition of Miller's Dic- 

 tionary mentions a third, which he calls Durmast, said to be grow- 

 ing in the New Forest in Hampshire ; but from a variety of speci- 

 mens obtained for me through the kindness of the Secretary to the 

 Woods and Forests, and from having gone through part of the Forest 

 myself, I am satisfied there is no such distinct species. The wood- 

 men in the Forest call certain oaks that have dark coloured acorns 

 (Dunmast), but those dun coloured acorns are found both of the Q. 

 pedunculata and Q. sessiliflora ; I have raised trees from them, and 

 consider them as only accidental varieties, and that the colour of 

 the acorns may be occasioned by something peculiar in the soil. 



The Q. pedunculata is called by some writers Q. robur, and by 

 others the Q. sessiliflora is called Q. robur ; to prevent mistakes I 

 think it better to adopt the name Q. pedunculata. This kind is easily 

 know T n by the acorns having long stalks, and the leaves having very 

 short footstalks, or in some specimens hardly any. In the Q. sessili- 

 flora, the leaves have footstalks from a quarter to one inch in length, 

 and the acorns sit close to the branch, having hardly any stalks. 



With respect to the qualities of our two native oaks ; the Q. pe- 

 dunculata contains a great quantity of the silver grain which 

 shews when the wood is planed what workmen call the flower 

 in the wood. In consequence of this the wood splits clean and 

 easy, and is best adapted for split paling and laths. It is also a 



