By William Atkinson, Esq, 



339 



require so much seasoning, and stands better without warping, but it 

 is not equal in strength or durability to British oak. 



Some years ago I procured acorns from the Black Forest in Ger- 

 many, where this wood is grown. Three varieties were sent me by a 

 botanist who collected them in the Forest ; some of the trees from 

 the acorns are now about six feet high, but I can only discover 

 two distinct species, which appear to me to be exactly the same as 

 our Q. pedunculata and Q. sessiliflora. The Dutch wainscot being 

 from a natural wood, and the trees growing close, may account for 

 the straightness of the wood, and its being more tender than our 

 oak, which differences may also partly be owing to the soil. 



There is no other oak that appears to thrive in this country, or 

 likely to be worth cultivating for timber, except the white oak 

 (Quercus alba) of North America. Of this there are not many large 

 trees in England, but the young trees appear to grow well, and I 

 have seen them do best in a peaty sand. The white oak imported 

 from America, is heavier than British oak ; it appears to be as 

 strong, and is more difficult to work. There are a great variety 

 of oaks in America, but all except the white oak appear to be of an 

 inferior quality. 



As ornamental trees, there are many of the American kinds that 

 are beautiful in their foliage, and from the various and rich tints the 

 leaves take in the autumn, are a great ornament to landscape scenery 

 and ought to be planted more than they have been, as ornamental 

 trees in parks and pleasure grounds. 



