OAK. 



33 



blackish bark, and we have no doubt will also afford 

 a different quality of timber. Those with blackish 

 dingy bark vary considerably from each other, some 

 being of very luxuriant growth and heavy foliage, 

 with thick fleshy bark, affording much tannin ; others, 

 though in favourable situation, of stunted growth, 

 thin dry bark, and delicate constitution, often being 

 nipped in the twigs by the frost : some having a 

 round easy figure of top, even with pendulous branch- 

 ing, others extremely stiff and angular in the 

 branching ; some with the most elegant foliage, 

 deeply sinuated and finely waved, others with the 

 clumsiest, most misshapen foliage, almost as if 

 opposite principles had presided at their forming. 

 We have observed the earlier kinds, with the dark 

 bark, to have generally the easiest figure of top ; the 

 angular branching and stiffness of figure of top 

 being greatest in those sooty -barked late kinds, most 

 disposed to take two growths in the season, the 

 spring and autumnal, which, from the proneness of 

 these kinds to be affected in the terminal bud by mon- 

 strosities, and sometimes also to be nipped in the 

 point of the unripened autumn shoot by the frost, are 

 generally thrown out in different directions, the tree, 

 from these causes, growing awkwardly and irregularly, 

 and by fits and starts. 



Besides the indigenous Quercus Robu?', we have 



c 



