0 A K L A Nj|o, JULY Q, I 8 7 6. 
DEAR DOCTOR, 
to-day I WENT TO LOOK AFTER THE SHRUBBY Q. WISLIZENI, ON 
•’GRIZZLY PEAK** FT.:, NOT FAR FROM HERE. HAPPENING TO FIND A 
BUSH OF REAL AGRIFOLIA AMONG THE PREVALENT WISLIZENl, I WAS ABLE 
TO make close COMPARISON, AND IN CONSEQUENCE GIVE I T UP — IT IS AS GOOD 
A SPECIES AS MOST OF THE OAKS, I RECKON. NOW AS FOR THE POINTS OF DIS- 
TINCTION IN THE LEAF, I FIND THOSE OF AGRIFOLIA MUCH MORE COMMONLY AND 
COMPLETELY CUPPED THAN IN THE OTHER, WHERE THEY ARE MORE GENERALLY RE- 
FLEXED along the LATERAL MARGIN , BUT SO AS TO UNROLL PERFECTLY FLAT; 
whereas in agr. they become crumpled in pressing^ being cupped like 
A SPOON. IN WISLIZENI THERE IS A WELL-DEFINED MIDRIB THROUGHOUT THE 
LENGTH, AND THE VEINLETS ARE PARALLEL; IN AGR. THE MIRIB USUALLY FORKS 
ABOVE, AND THE BRANCHES CURVE AND FORK THEMSELVES. THAT IS IN WHAT ONE 
WOULD CALL •♦CHARACTERISTIC SPECIMENS* •; THERE ARE THOSE IN WHICH THESE 
MARKS FAIL BUT THE-LOWER SURFACE OF THE LEAF HAS ONE UNFAILING MARK, 
Nl FALLOR, viz: THAT THE MIDRIB AND LARGER -PRIMARY; VEINS, BESIDES 
BEING MUCH LESS PROMINENT THAN IN AGR*, AND ALMOST FLATTENED DOWN, ARE 
BORDERED BY A NARROW BAND OF PARENCHYMA FORMING A KINO OF RAISED MARGIN, 
m AND THUS PRODUCING THAT PECULIAR APPEARANCE WHICH, AS KELLOGG SAYS, IS 
II ’’EASIER SEEN THA DESCRIBED. *• THE ACORNS, TOO, EVEN IN THEIR PRESENT 
undeveloped CONDITION, ARE VERY DIFFERENT — MUCH MORE IMMERSED; BUT 
I COULD NOT HELP REMARK I NG AGA I N THE GREAT RARITY OF LAST YEARS ACORNS, 
AS COMPARED WITH THOSE OF THIS YEAR, AND THE FACT THAT SOME OF THE LAT- 
TER ARE SO LARGE THAT ANY ONE WOULD THINK THEY WERE GO NG TO R«)PEN THIS 
YEAR, WHILE OTHERS ARE FAR BEHIND* I WILL WATCH SOME OF THESE AND SEE 
IF THEY ARE NOT OCCASIONALLY RIPENED ANNUALLY* 
I FOUND NO FRUIT ON THE SHRUBBY AGRIFOLIA UP THERE* 
AS FOR THE ABNORMALLY BIENNIAL ACORNS OF THE LATTER, I TOLD YOU IN 
A P. C. THAT THEY ARE FALLING OFF, ALTHOUGH THEY HAVE GROWN UP TO A FEW 
days AGO, AN SOME ARE GROWING YET, BUT DO NOT SEEM LIKELY TO RIPEN, AS 
THE CUP APPEARS TO BE RUNNING AHEAD OF THE ACORN, AND CURLS OBER IT IN 
AN UNNATURAL WAY. YOU WILL SEE THAT IN THE SPECIMENS I HAVE COLLECTED* 
I NOW NOTICE THAT THESE IMMATURE, CURLED- IN CUPS ARE QUITE COMMOnON THE 
TREES HERE, A FEW B I NG DEVELOPED A GOOD DEAL FARTHER THAN THOSE I HAVE 
08SEVED, SO THAT I CANNOT HELP THINKING THAT AFTER ALL, THESF ABNORMAL 
BIENNIAL CROPS DO SOMETIMES MATURE. THE CATRPILLAR, HOWEVER, HAS DONE 
SO LITTLE AMGE THIS SEASON, THAT I WILL NOT BE ABLE TO VERIFY THE MAT- 
TER HERE NEXT SEAON* BEYOND THE RANGE THEY HAVE HAD BETTER LUCK, AND I 
WILL LOOK OUT FOR FACTS THERE* 
Botanical 
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