ROCK CHESNUT OAK. 
25 
of the Hudson and on the shores of Lake Champlain, and still more fre- 
quently on the Alleghanies in Pennsylvania and Virginia. It forms nine- 
tenths of the growth on some parts of these mountains, but the soil is so 
meager that it is thinly disseminated and does not exceed 20 or 25 feet in 
height, and 8 or 10 inches in’ diameter. I made this observation particu- 
larly on the Dry Ridges 15 mile's from Bedford. 
In that part of Pennsylvania, as well as in Maryland and Virginia, it is 
known by the name of Chesnut Oak, and by that of Rock Oak on the 
banks of the Hudson and the shores of Lake Champlain to the distance of 
400 miles from New York. Both are significant; the first, of a remarka- 
able resemblance of the bark to that of the Chesnut ; and the second, of 
the situations in which the tree is exclusively found. For this reason, and 
to avoid confounding it with the preceding and following species, which 
also grow in Virginia, I have blended the two denominations. 
The beautiful appearance of this tree when growing in a fertile soil, is 
owing equally to the symmetry of its form and to the luxuriance of its 
foliage. The leaves are 5 or 6 inches long, 3 or 4 broad, oval and uni- 
formly denticulated, with the teeth more regular but less acute than those 
of the Chesnut White Oak. When beginning to open in the spring, they 
are covered with a thick down ; but when fully expanded, they fire per- 
fectly smooth, whitish beneath, and of a delicate texture. The petiole is 
of a yellow color, which becomes brighter toward the fall. 
The acorns are brown, of an oblong-ovafi shape, and sometimes an inch 
in length, a third part of which is contained in a spreading cup covered 
with loose scales ; they are sweet tasted, and are a favourite nourishment 
of wild and domestic animals. 
The Rock Chesnut Oak is sometimes 3 feet in diameter, and more than 
60 feet high ; but as its growth is usually repressed by the poverty of the 
soil, it rarely attains these dimensions. In open elevated situations it 
spreads widely, and forms a head like that of the apple tree. When the 
trunk exceeds a foot in diameter, it is covered with a thick, hard, deeply 
furrowed bark. i\t New York and near the Alleghanies in Pennsylvania, 
this species of bark is esteemed the best for tanning. Only that of the 
secondary branches and of stocks less than 6 inches thick is employed. It 
is sold at NevV York for 10 or 12 dollars a cord. The epidermis is strongly 
impregnated with the tanning principle, wdiich in other species resides 
only in the cellular tissue. 
The wood is reddish like that of the White Oak, but its pores are more 
open, though its specific gravity is greater : pieces of both species being 
thrown into water, the White Oak remains on the surface and the other at 
the bottom. Its staves are not used to contain spirituous liquors. At 
New York and on the banks of the Hudson, it holds the next place to the 
White Oak in the construction of vessels. It is employed for the lower 
4 
