1794

ARBORETUM AND FRUTICETUM.

PART III.

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^'fic STRVTT.

remarkably the case with the celebrated oak at Lord Cowper’s [shown in fig.1480. in p. 1741.]. This tree, above a century ago, was well known as the

Great Oak at Pan- ^ , 1636

shanger. There isalso a beautiful tree(fig. 1636.), of thesame description, atLord Darnley’s seatat Cobham, which,being protected fromthe depredations ofcattle, enjoys themost perfect free-dom of growth, ex-tending its latitudeof boughs in everydirection,and droop-ing its clustered fo-liage to the veryground.” (Strait inMag. Nat. Hist., vol.i. p. 42.)

The Spray of the Oak has been described and illustrated by Gilpin, with hisusual felicity. “ In the spray of trees,” he remarks, “ nature seems to observeone simple principle; which is, that the mode of growth in the spray corre-sponds exactly with that of the larger branches, of which, indeed the spray isthe origin. Thus, the oak divides his boughs from thestem more horizontally than most other deciduous trees.

The spray makes exactly, in minia-ture, the same appearance. Itbreaks out in right angles, or inangles that are nearly so, formingits shoots commonly in short lines[seeySgs. 1637. and 1638., from Gil-pin ; and fig. 1639., from Strutt];the second year’s shoot usuallytaking some direction contrary tothat of the first. Thus the ru-diments are laid of that abrupt mode of ramification, for which the oak is

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1637