The Woods in Winter 



43* 



THE WOODS IN WINTER. 



Of those of our hedgerow and woodland trees which shed 

 their leaves, the great majority now stand naked, and many 

 things are revealed which were not noticeable whilst they were 

 clothed. Amongst these we have the fact that almost all oak 

 trees have many dead branches. We have claimed this cir- 

 cumstance as explaining the undue frequency with which oaks 

 are struck by lightning. The dead branches soaked with 

 water constitute good storage for the electric fluid, and 

 become thus attractive to the opposite current in the atmos- 

 phere. They are natural lightning conductors. Now is the 

 time to satisfy ourselves as to the abundance of such on the 

 oaks. On the contrary, we may look long into the heads of 

 beech trees without finding a single dead bough, and beech 

 trees are known to be almost immune from lightning. The 

 expression " stagheaded " is not applicable to the ordinary 

 state of oaks which show dead branches. The latter are not 

 specially grouped in the head of the tree, indeed, they are but 

 rarely placed there, but occur scattered irregularly, and some 

 of them quite low down. 



It is a little difficult to explain why the oak should be so 

 prone to let its branches die. It may, however, be noted with 

 interest that oaks seem to be much more careless of their side 

 boughs than beeches, and to aim more at central strength 

 and height. Beeches spread very widely and their lowest 

 branches are always their longest, and thus these escape the 

 overshadowing of those above them. The oak has branches 

 far less flexible than those of the beech, and dares not trust 

 them so far afield ; thus they become crowded together, and 

 some are shut out from the light and are suffocated. The oak 

 is, in its government, centralised and autocratic, the spreading 

 beech inclining more to democratic imperialism. 



In connection with what has been said above it is of in- 



