EUROPEAN WHITE OAK. 
15 
mit. The bark upon the body is very thick, and on old trees, deeply fur- 
rowed ; upon the limbs and the young stocks it is grayish, smooth and 
glossy. The leaves are of a light green on the upper surface, whitish 
beneath, widened toward the summit, deeply sinuated with blunted points, 
and supported by short petioles like those of the American White Oak. 
They are more or less divided according to the age of the tree and to the 
moisture of the soil. A part of the dry discolored foliage persists through 
the winter, and falls the ensuing spring. 
Besides the difference of the foliage, this species is constantly distin- 
guished from the preceding by its fruit, which is supported singly or in 
pairs by slender peduncles, 2, 3, or even 4 inches long. The acorns are 
of an oval shape, from 9 to 18 lines in length, according to the age and 
vigor of the tree, and contained in shallow cups : they fall about a fort- 
night before those of the Common Oak. 
The wood of the European White Oak is of the same colour with that 
of the American species, the sap being white and the heart reddish ; but 
the texture is closer and the pores fuller, which is probably the reason of 
its being less elastic, but stronger and more durable. It is generally pre- 
ferred to the common Oak, as it furnishes larger timbers, splits more regu- 
larly, and is more easily wrought ; hence it is highly esteemed for the 
construction of houses and ships, and extensively employed by the joiner, 
the wheelwright and the cooper. 
Throughout Europe, except in the north of Russia, the bark of the 
Common Oak and the White Oak is almost exclusively used in tanning, 
lhat w'hich is taken from the branches and from small stocks is preferred, 
because the epidermis is thinner, and the cellular tissue, which con- 
tains the tannin, more abundant. 
Oak wood is more generally used in Europe than in the United States, 
where the different species of Ash, Birch, etc., in some measure supply its 
place. The European White Oak would be a valuable addition to the 
American forests, and I have sent out acorns to begin the formation of 
nurseries. 
PLATE II. 
A branch of the European White Oak with leaves and acorns of the natural 
