CHAP. CV.

CORYLA'CEiE. QUe'rCUS.

1789

said to be the best. The bark of either species affords a substance which hasbeen substituted for quinine; and, according to Cullen and others, a decoc-tion of oak bark has been used for diseases of the throat, &c. The bark whichcontains the greatest quantity of tannin is obtained from those parts of thebranches or trunks which are of from 20 to 30 years’ growth ; and hence thebark of an oak coppice of 20 or 30 years’ growth is worth more to the tanner,than the same weight of bark taken from the trunk and branches of old trees.Every part of the tree, however, abounds in astringent matter ; and even theleaves and sawdust will tan leather, linen cloth, netting, or cordage, whichis to be much exposed to the weather. An infusion of the bark, with cop-peras, dyes woollen of a purplish blue. The Highlanders, according to Light-foot, dye their yarn of a brown colour with oak bark ; and the same thing ispractised in Sweden, and other countries, where, like the bark of the birchand some other trees, it is made to perform the office of tanning and dyeingat the same time. The acorns of both species are alike sought after for feed-ing swine; but, according to the French authors, they are produced in thegreatest quantities by the sessile-fruited oak, and of the largest size from thepedunculated species. According to Evelyn, a peck of acorns a day, with alittle bran, will make a hog increase a pound weight per day for two monthstogether. Cato recommends acorns to be given to oxen, mixed with beans andlupines. In British parks, acorns form an important part of the winter food ofdeer; and, were the tree substituted for the elm, the ash, and a number of otherswhich are planted in hedgerows, there would be a general supply throughoutthe country for pigs, and also for game ; since it is certain that they are eatenboth by pheasants and partridges in England, and by turkeys in America.Acorns are given raw or boiled to poultry; and it is said to be easy to accus-tom horses, cattle, and sheep to eat them. Acorns, roasted and treated likecoffee, are said to afford a liquor which closely resembles that beverage; andwhen sprouted acorns are treated like malt, they afford a liquor from which avery strong spirit may be distilled. According to Bose, this is practised invarious parts of the north of Europe. The leaves of both species, gatheredgreen, and dried, are said to furnish an excellent winter forage for sheep, goats,deer, &c. The leaves, after they have dropped from the tree, are swept up,and used in gardening as a substitute for tanner’s bark, in producing heat byfermentation in hot-houses, pits, &c.

The Use of the Oak in Landscape has been pointed out by Gilpin with hisusual force and effect. “ It is a happiness,” he says, “ to the lovers of thepicturesque, that this noble plant is as useful as it is beautiful. From theutility of the oak they derive this advantage, that it is every where found.Many kinds of wood are harder, as box and ebony; many kinds are tougher,as yew and ash; but it is supposed that no species of wood, at least no speciesof timber, is possessed of both these qualities together in so great a degree asthe British oak. Almost all arts and manufactures are indebted to it; butin ship-building, and bearing burdens, its elasticity and strength are appliedto most advantage. I mention these mechanical uses only because some of itschief beauties are connected with them. Thus, it is not the erect stately treethat is always the most useful in ship-building; but more often the crookedone, forming short turns and elbows, which the shipwrights and carpenterscommonly call knee-timber. This, too, is generally the most picturesque.Nor is it the straight tall stem, the fibres of which run in parallel lines, thatis the most useful in bearing burdens ; but that which has its sinews twistedand spirally combined. This, too, is the most picturesque. Trees, underthese circumstances, generally take the most pleasing forms. We seldom seethe oak, like other trees, take a twisted form from the winds. It generally pre-serves its balance; which is one of the grand picturesque beauties of everytree. The oak, like other trees, shrinks from the sea air [see p. 195. fig. 1.]:but this indicates no weakness; for the sea air, like a pestilential disease,attacks the strongest constitutions. A second characteristic of the oak is the