66 
House & Garden 
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Oaks and the Lawn 
(Continued from page 40) 
laurel oak and willow-oak. The Eng¬ 
lish oak is the best of the imported spe¬ 
cies. The choice of the right sorts to 
plant constitutes a second fundamental 
consideration of this subject. 
Of the smaller varieties, the black¬ 
jack oak, on account of its compact and 
deep crown, which attains its perfec¬ 
tion in the North, is a very attractive 
ornamental tree for situations which 
would not permit the development of 
larger trees. 
Favorites of North and South 
Among the oaks mentioned, the live- 
oak is the favorite in the South, and the 
white oak is probably the most popular 
in the North. Each tree, however, will 
be given brief consideration here, in 
order that a just estimate may be 
reached, in relation to the desirability of 
each for planting purposes upon partic¬ 
ular lawns or in certain parks. 
The live-oak is the largest of the fam¬ 
ily, and one of the greatest of American 
trees. It is the only evergreen of the 
genus and is probably the most beauti¬ 
ful of oaks. Unfortunately it is terri¬ 
torially limited. It will not thrive north 
of the latitude of southern Virginia, and 
even there, not at high altitudes. It is a 
tree of the coast. In the South, after 
the yellow pine, it is the most charac¬ 
teristic tree. Moss-draped, with far- 
reaching limbs large as the trunks of 
ordinary trees, and with its deep and 
massive crown, it is impressive and 
truly majestic. 
The white oak is the finest hardwood 
tree of the North. It grows from Maine 
to Minnesota, and southward to Florida 
and Texas. Though tolerant of all soils, 
it reaches its maximum development on 
rich, moist land. The size which it can 
attain has already been mentioned. The 
beauty of the trunk and foliage, and the 
depth and symmetry of the crown highly 
recommend this noble tree. Where space 
permits, there is no finer tree for plant¬ 
ing on the lawn. 
The pin oak is usually a medium 
sized tree, but may reach a maximum 
height of 120' and a diameter of 3'. All 
ordinary pin oaks at maturity are about 
50' high and perhaps 2' in diameter. 
The lower lateral branches of the pin 
oak are short and drooping, the middle 
ones are horizontal, and the upper ones 
ascend to a cone, making a very beauti¬ 
ful and graceful shape. This form of 
the tree is so characteristic that it is 
sufficient to identify it. The range of 
the pin oak is from Massachusetts to 
Michigan, and southward to the Caro- 
linas, Tennessee and Oklahoma. It is 
one of the easiest of all oaks to trans¬ 
plant. As an ornamental tree on the 
lawn it is peculiarly beautiful; and aside 
from its exquisite form and the rich 
loveliness of its autumnal foliage, it is 
to be recommended for its very rapid 
growth as compared with some others. 
A slightly larger tree than the pin oak 
is the scarlet oak; its shape is much the 
same. The low lateral branches, how¬ 
ever, nearly always die off, though they 
persist on the tree for many years. It 
appears to prefer dry, sandy soil. Its 
distribution is from Maine to Min¬ 
nesota, and southward to North Carolina 
and Nebraska. This tree, like the pin 
oak, is a fast grower; the summer foli¬ 
age is heavy and abundant, and its au¬ 
tumn coloring is beautiful. It is one of* 
the most desirable lawn oaks, for if the 
low dead branches be trimmed off, it has 
none but attractive features. 
The black oak, while not so graceful 
and highly ornamental as those already 
described, has at least one great virtue, 
and that is its ability to thrive on soils 
too poor to support ordinary trees. It 
is partial to high, dry and even sterile 
situations. This is one of the largest 
and most impressive looking of the oak 
family, and its range covers the whole 
eastern half of the country. The trunk 
is generally tall and straight. The 
crown is often irregular, but there is a 
fine ruggedness about the appearance 
of a black oak which atones for its lack 
of graceful features. 
The post oak is found locally in the 
eastern and southern states. It closely 
resembles the white oak, but it never 
attains the latter’s size, and its timber 
is inferior. It will, however, thrive on 
poorer soils than will the white oak. 
The bark of the post oak is like that of 
the white oak in its scaly nature, but its 
color is considerably darker. When it 
is given room to develop it will form a 
beautiful crown, broad, dense, deep and 
round topped. The post oak is a slow 
grower, and it is somewhat difficult to 
transplant it successfully. In the most 
favorable situations it may reach a max¬ 
imum height of 90', with a diameter of 
4'. It is a handsome lawn tree and one 
whose life is far longer than man’s. 
The bur oak is a giant among its 
associates. This tree is sometimes 
known as the over-cup or mossy-cup oak. 
Its range is from Nova Scotia to Mani¬ 
toba, and southward to Kansas and 
Texas. The bur oak is a great lover of 
sunlight and grows best upon rich low¬ 
land. On the uplands its development 
is inferior to that of the white oak. 
The bur oak is of especial value on city 
lawns, or in parks near the great centers 
of population, as it can withstand the 
effects of smoke which are so deleterious 
to many members of the oak family. It 
is also singularly free from the attacks 
of disease. The bur oak will attain a 
height of 170' and a diameter of 7'. 
Seven Other Sorts 
Perhaps as valuable a tree as can be 
planted on a lawn is the yellow oak. 
Ordinarily a medium sized tree, it will 
sometimes attain, as in the river valleys 
of the Middle West, the dimensions of 
the white oak. The trunk of this tree 
is often widely buttressed at the base, 
giving it an appearance of stubborn 
strength. Its head is narrow, somewhat 
shallow, and round topped. The foliage 
is very dense and beautiful. This oak 
somewhat resembles the chestnut oak, 
and it is sometimes called the chinqua¬ 
pin oak. Its range covers all parts of 
the country except the extreme West. It 
prefers high and dry situations. As a 
lawn tree it is without a superior, its 
handsome form and beautiful foliage 
making it strikingly attractive. 
Six Other Sorts 
The red oak is not only one of the 
largest of North American hardwoods, 
but it is decidedly the most rapid grower 
of the whole oak family. A seedling has 
been known to grow 19" in one year, 
18' in ten years, 39' in twenty years, and 
57' in fifty years. More than any other 
American hardwood it is grown abroad, 
especially in Germany, both for orna¬ 
mental and timber purposes. The red 
oak has the same range as the bur oak. 
For the lawn it is especially attractive 
on account of its short trunk, its broad, 
symmetrical crown, straight branches, 
smooth bark and the gorgeous autumnal 
coloring of its leaves. 
The chestnut oak or rock oak is known 
chiefly to tanners, who extract tannin 
from its bark; yet it can be ornamental 
as well as useful. It is a tree that pre¬ 
fers hilly and mountainous situations; 
its range extends from Maine to Ontario 
and southward to Alabama and Tennes¬ 
see. This oak is somewhat sensitive to 
the effects of transplanting. Occasion¬ 
ally, on an open stand, it will develop 
into a crooked tree. It is very exacting 
in its demands for light. On the lawn, 
the tree is likely to be low and divided, 
and the crown broad and open. The 
shape of the rock oak does not recom¬ 
mend it, but its other features are nota¬ 
bly attractive. (Continued on page 68) 
