The Oak. 



which has no petal, but a small oval germen supporting' a single five-pointed 

 style, crowned by single permanent stigmas. The germen afterwards 

 becomes an oval nut, or acorn, with a thick cover, having one cell, the base 

 of which is fixed into the empalement or cup. 



420. The family of Oaks is numerous indeed. Perhaps 

 there are ten or a dozen different varieties amongst the 

 native Oaks of England, each somewhat distinguished from 

 all the rest, whether by the shape of the leaf, the size of 

 the leaf, the colour of the leaf; by the size, colour, or 

 shape of the acorn. If you stand upon a hill, and look 

 down upon a pretty large Oak wood, which you do almost 

 anywhere in the Wealds of Surrey, Sussex, or Kent, at any 

 season of the year, from the time that the bud begins to 

 open until the leaves be completely off, you will perceive 

 that there is a very great variety of Oaks. You will see 

 one sort nearly in full leaf, when the buds of other sorts 

 are only beginning to burst. In the autumn you will see 

 some of the trees retaining their perfect green, while others 

 are wholly without a leaf. In the middle of summer some 

 trees are of a dark green, others of a pale green ; so that, 

 in all probability, if the thing could be exactly ascertained, 

 there is as great a variety of Oaks in England as there is 

 in America; but, at any rate, the manner of propagating, 

 planting, training up, and applying all deciduous Oaks, are 

 one and the same ; so that, in giving directions for these 

 works, with regard to the common English Oak, I shall be 

 giving directions for the propagation and management of 

 all Oaks, except the American Live Oak ; which is an Ever- 

 green, or rather one of the Evergreen Oaks, and which will 

 demand a different treatment. 



121. As to the outward appearances of the Oak tree, its 

 jiuieial height and size, the uses of its bark as well as of its 

 timber ; these are all as well known to us, as are the out- 

 ward appearances, the size and the uses of the grain of 



