178 
IOWA ACADEMY OE SCIENCES. 
The oak has been looked upon as the peer of forest trees; 
aye, even taken as the symbol of strength. Its close, 
strong fibers enable the tree to resist a thousand storms. 
Its vitality readily causing a new growth to be rapidly 
spread over the narrow path riven by the lightning. Some 
of the species live several hundred years ere storms, fungi, 
accidents, and natural old age have at last consumed the 
the tree's vitality and death results. 
Let us pass through a native oak grove of eastern Iowa. 
At first we shall be struck by the remarkable paucity of 
large trees, though here and there fine ones are seen. 
Further observation, however, reveals many decaying 
stumps, clearly indicating the cause of the scarcity. In 
place of the primeval there are numerous young trees 
which collectively constitute the so-called second growth. 
On noticing species we find they bear a rather general 
numerical relation to each other. Sometimes one species 
predominating, and again another, so as to receive the dis- 
tinctive names of white oak, bur oak, or the so-called black 
oak groves. One particular grove on the uplands is com- 
posed largely of scarlet oak (Q. coccinea Wang.); the trees 
are thick set, limby or not, as is convenient for them; 
stately, thriving or passive as the seasons of average moist- 
ure or drought appear. Here and there may be seen a 
solitary red oak {Q. rubra L.), or at best but few individ- 
uals, for they seem not to thrive in numbers where the 
scarlet oak abounds. The bur oak (Q. macrocarpa Mx.) 
fares better, though not many individuals may be counted 
in close proximity with the scarlet oak, yet passing in cer- 
tain directions we find the number increasing until we are 
in a typical bur oak grove. We said we were on the 
uplands, but we find on passing to the lowlands that the 
bur oak is there. The trees are large, but the quality of 
the timber is comparatively poor. The white oak (Q. alba 
L.) has much the same habit as the bur oak. Solitary 
individuals occurring among the scarlet oaks and in cer- 
tain places predominating, though as we pass from point to 
point we may find white oaks mixed with bur oaks along 
with scarlet oaks, until differentiated by natural causes 
