98 



SOUTHERN APPALACHIAN REGION. 



Swamp Wliite Oak {Quercm platanoides) becomes a large tree, 100 

 feet in height and 3 feet in diameter. It is found along streams, but is 

 infrequent. The wood has the same qualities and uses as that of the 

 white oak, though it is coarser and more brittle. 



Chestnut Oak {Quercus jyW^zm'), reaching a heiglit of HO feet and a 

 diameter of 40 inches, is common on dr}'^ and especially sandy slopes. 

 The wood is harder and more durable than that of the other oaks of 

 this region and is largely used for posts, railwa}- ties, and insuhitor 

 pins. The bark, which is rich in taimin, is extensively used in the 

 manufacture of white leathers, thousands of trees being yearly stripped 

 to supply the demand. It seeds frequently and in abundance, and 

 reproduces freely. The rate of growth is slow, the large trees often 

 being !i50 years old. 



Yellow Oak {Que/^cus acuminata), reaching a height of 90 feet and a 

 diameter of 24: inches, occurs rarely along the larger streams. The 

 wood has much the same quality and uses as that of the white oak. 



lied Oak {Querctcs ruhra) is the largest oak in the Southern Appa- 

 lachians, frequently reaching a height of 130 feet and a diameter of 

 more than 5 feet. It is comnion above 1,500 feet, but attains its 

 greatest size in deep, cool hollows, on fertile soil, where it grows with 

 chestnut, linn, birch, and A^ellow poplar. It is extensively sawn, and 

 the wood is largely used in the manufacture of furniture, for interior 

 finish, staves, and in construction. It is a tree of rapid growth, seeds 

 frequently and f I'eely, and reproduces well. 



Pin Oak {Quercus palustris) is a small tree, seldom more than 50 

 feet in height and 20 inches in diameter. It is found only at a low 

 elevation, along streams flowing from the western slope of the Smoky 

 Mountains. The wood is coarse and porous, and even were the tree 

 more common would be little used. 



Sjyotted Oak {Quercus texana) is a tall, slender tree, often 110 feet 

 high and 30 inches in diameter, growing in the larger valle3^s below 

 1,200 feet elevation. It is not common, but reproduces well and 

 makes rapid growth. 



Scarlet Oak {Quercus coccinea), reaching a height of 100 feet and a 

 diameter of 30 inches, but generall}^ much smaller, is very common on 

 dry soil, especially if stifl', below -l:,000 feet elevation. The timber is 

 not so valuable as that of the red oak, but is much used. It repro- 

 duces freely and makes good gi'owth. 



Black Oak {Quercus velutina), reaching a height of 100 feet and a 

 diameter of 30 inches, is frequent on good soil on well-drained slopes 

 below 2,500 feet elevation. The timber has about the same uses as 

 that of the red oak. It is a tree of rapid growth and reproduces 

 well. The bark is rich in tannin. 



Southern Red, Oak {Quercus (Z/^{?J«to), reaching in the mountains a 

 height of yO feet and a diameter of 30 inches, is common onl}- below 



