508 OCTANDRIA. TETRAGYNIA. Rhodiola. 
Nectaries five. Stamens six, eight, or twelve. Fabric. (It varies with 
blossoms five cloven. FI. Brit. E.) Stems numerous, simple, four to ten 
“ Gigantic Oak, thy hardy head sublime 
Erewhile must perish in the wreck of time;— 
* * * * * 
* * * * 
Arm after arm shall leave the mouldering bust. 
And thy firm fibres crumble into dust.” 
Notwithstanding the robust character of the Oak, and its proverbial strength, it is 
materially affected by the different strata of earth through which its roots happen to 
penetrate; and on this principle only can we account for the striking diversity fre¬ 
quently apparent, both in the season and colour of the foliage. The most remarkable 
phenomenon of this nature (not exceeded even by the Glastonbury thorn), occurs in the 
Cadenham Oak, near Lyndhurst, in the New Forest. This tree has been distinguished 
more than two centuries for budding every year in the depth of winter, or as the foresters 
insist, invariably on old Christmas Day, and then only. Many leaves certainly appear 
about that period, more or less expanded, but the progress of germination is soon checked 
by inclement weather, and in summer the foliage resembles that of neighbouring trees. 
In the same forest, near to Rufus’s monument, another tree is said to exist, also remark¬ 
able for premature vegetation. Camden alludes to the very tree against which the arrow 
of Tyrrel glanced as subject to this peculiarity. In the Journal above cited, it is 
remarked, that the Oak produces its fruit precariously, which is attributed to suspended 
circulation ; as brought to notice from the custom of barking this tree in the spring. 
“At times our barkers go on rapidly; yet in a few hours a frost, or a sharp wind, 
will put an entire stop to their operations, in consequence of the cessation of the flow 
of sap, which is followed by the adhesion of the bark to the wood. Whenever this 
nutriment ceases to be supplied, the immature and tender germen must languish, and 
if the supply be long suspended, it must perish.” The season for felling Oak trees 
is limited by the law of England to the spring, when the sap is flowing. This is 
done to facilitate the peeling off the bark; but is attended, in the opinion of some ju¬ 
dicious persons, by serious detriment to the timber ; which is said to be far less durable 
than when fallen in the winter ; so that ships which have been constructed of spring-cut 
timber, have decayed in less than half the time that those built with trees cut in winter 
have done. For this reason the French remove the bark from the trees standing, after 
which process the trees remain till the next, or sometimes a second winter. Mr. White 
states, “ Oaks may be barked while the leaf is budding, but as soon as they are expanded 
the bark will no longer part from the wood, because the sap that lubricates the bark and 
makes it part is evaporated through the leaves.” In a rich soil and suitable climate the 
Oak nearly triples its value of timber in the course of about nine years. An Oak properly 
cleared and trained from the acorn, will in fifty three years increase to fifty feet round 
measure, and square to above seventy feet, and be fit for the King’s dock-yards. Experi¬ 
ments by the Rev. --Hill, made at East Peckham, in Kent. The Oak derives its 
chief nutriment from the tap-root, which descends at right angles to the horizon, much 
attention must therefore be paid to preserve the tap root from injury. Previously to 
planting acorns in the month of March, loosen the earth by deep trenching : never 
transplant the saplings intended for timber ; keep the plant carefully pruned till arrived at 
a proper height. The plants must be kept very clean from weeds ; in October they must 
be thinned. A loam or marl soil is best for Oaks. Rev. R. Yates. Trees increase in girth 
by bark, &c. long after the branches decay, and the vigour of the extremities declines: and 
in altitude, not merely by the leading shoot, but by the general propensity of all the lower 
parts to ascend. An account of some curious experiments on acorns may be seen in the 
Month. Mag. vol. 27. p. 148, by Mr. J. Browell, who reports the growth of Oak plants from 
acorns suspended in water, and remarks, that although some few vegetables have been 
raised without the medium of earth, a tree has probably never been before so produced. 
Oak bark long exposed to the weather exhibits layers of a delicate texture resembling the 
lace bark of Jamaica. The rugged coat which characterizes this, the elm, and other forest 
trees, is formed, as Mr. Thomson states, by the constant renewal, and gradually accumu¬ 
lating layers, of the epidermis ; the old cuticle cracking, but not peeling off, as the diameter 
of the stem, or branch, increases. 
