48 



THE OAK. 



to the popularity of the Oak, as to the finished 

 elegance of form of the fruit itself. ^ Acorn- 

 shaped' would, I should think, be a word as readily 

 understood as 'round' or 'square.' Acorns and 

 roses are in modern architecture what pomegra- 

 nates and lilies were in Jewish. Different in pro- 

 portions though it is in the various species of Oak, 

 there is yet always similarity enough to detect the 

 genus of the tree which produced it. The ball 

 may be almost buried in the cup, or may be dis- 

 proportionately long ; the latter may be almost 

 smooth, or rugged, or even mossy ; yet, were an 

 acorn of any species to be placed before a person 

 who had never seen any other than that of the 

 British Oak, he would immediately pronounce the 

 tree from which it was gathered an Oak. 



As an article of food, the acorn has been, and 

 in many places still is, highly prized. In the time 

 of Strabo, Rome was principally supplied with 

 hogs which had been fattened on mast in the 

 woods of Gaul. This mast is supposed to have 

 included the acorns of the common and Turkey 

 Oaks, and of the Ilex ; as well as the nuts of the 

 Beech and Chestnut. So important were acorns 

 formerly considered, that by the laws of the 

 Twelve Tables the owner of a tree might gather 

 up his acorns though they should have fallen on 

 another man's ground. 



It appears from Domesday Book, that in Eng- 

 land, in the time of William the Conqueror, 

 ''Oaks were still esteemed, principally for the food 

 they afforded to swine; for the value of the woods 

 in several counties is estimated by the number of 

 hogs they would fatten. The survey is taken so 

 accurately that in some places woods are men- 



