OAKLAND, APRIL 21, 1 876 , 
DEAR DOCTOR, 
the wood of auERCUS agrifolia is good for nothing 
BUT FUEL, AND IT COSTS SO MUCH TO CUT IT UP INTO STOVE WOOD THAT IT 
SCACELY WOULD PAY IN ANY COUNTRY WHERE TIMBER IS MORE ABUNDANT. LIKE 
THE SOUTHERN LIVE OAK, IT WILL NEITHER SP LIT NOR SPL I NTEr|^AS I L Y} BUT IT 
IS SO BRITTLE THAT IT IS BROKEN RATHER THAN CUT BY ANY BUT AN EXTttEMELY 
SHARP AXE. THEN IT USUALLY IS VERY KNOTTY AND CROOKED, SO THAT IT MUST 
be sawed to get it into an V definite SHAPE, 
I HAVE LATELY BEEN TO TH<vE OTHER SIDE OF THE RANGE, ON CAROUINES 
STRAIT, WHERE OTHER OAKS GROW; VIZ: THE BLACK OAK, ALREADY PAST ITS 
BLOOM AND IN FULL LEAF? SHOWS THERE NOaSIGNS OF A SHRUBBY FORM. THEN 
THE POST O-vR WHITE OAK, WITH THE BIG GALLS, NOW BLACK WITH FUNGUS; THIS 
JUST IN BLOOM, LEAVES NOT FULLY GROWN. IN THE VALLEYS SOME VERY LARGE 
• , (XVL O RTTU SI L Oft #¥ 
TRESS, IN GENERAL SHAPE RESEMBLINGA G. E ALCATA^^WHEN GROWING ISOLATED, 
BMT conspicuously characterized by long pendulous BOUGHS, OFTEN HANG- 
ING DOWN VERTICALLY FOR SEVERAL YARDS FROM THE EXTREMITIES OF THE BRAN- 
CHES,, THIS OCCURS ONLY ON LARGE TREES AND IN HABIT THESE ARE DECIDEDLY 
MORE LIKE POST THAN WHITE OAKS^ ON THE HILLSIDESTHE SMALLER FORM OF 
G. 00UGL3M IS ABUNDANT; 12 TO 15 FEET HIGH, BRANCHES LOW DOWN ON THE 
TRUNK, AND FULL OF GALLS, WHICH ARE SCAR8ELY SEEN ON THE LABGE TREES, 
THE LEAVES ON THESE SMALL OAKS WERE A GOOD DEAL MORE ADVICED THAN ON 
THE LARGE ONES; I SAW NO FLOWERS ON THEM. MY I MPRESS I OlT I S THA^HERE AS 
ON THE SIERRAS, THIS OAK NEVER GROWS LARGE EXCEPT IN SHELTERED SPOTS, 
JUST AS IS THE CASE WITH G, AGRIFOLIA, 
I SAW A FEW TREES OF THE V*MONTAIN»» OR ••R0CK»» OAK, WITH UNDULATE 
DENTATE LVS. RESEMBLING A LITTLE THOSE OF AGRIFOLIa'^N SHAPE, BUT GRAYISH 
PULVERULENT, LIKE^IhTOSE OF Q, CINEREA, NOT IN BLOOM, 
later in THE SEASON 1 WILL GET YOU FULL GROWN LEAVES &C, OF ALL 
these FORMS, 
THIS IS A VERY MAGNIFICENT COUNTRY JUST NOW — SUCH MASSES OF FLOWERS 
ABE SEEN NOWHERE ELSE, UNLESS IN CHINA ; OUR WESTERN PRAIRIES ARE TAME 
IN COMPARISON, YOU SEE THE GLEAM OF YELLOW, ORANGE, RED, PURPLE, BLUE OR 
WHITE, MILES AWAY, IN THE GENERAL GREEN OF THE GRASS; AND YOU SOON LEARN 
TO DISTINGUISH THE FIELDS OF ESCHSCHOLTZ I A, RANUNCULUS, PORTULACCA, LUPI|il 
ORHTOCARPUS, ANEMONE, &C.AS FAB AS YOU CAN SEE, THEM. THE OLD COUNTRY 
