1874

ARBORETUM AND FRUTICETUM.

PART III.

luxuriance of its foliage.” Itis sometimes found 60 ft. high,with a trunk about 3 ft. indiameter; but, as it generallygrows in poor rocky soil, itvery seldom attains these di-mensions. In open elevatedsituations, it spreads widely,and forms a head like that ofan apple tree. The bark onold trees is hard, thick, anddeeply furrowed; and theouter bark is equally good fortanning as the inner bark.

The wood is reddish, like thatof the white oak; and, though its pores are more open, its specificgravity is greater, a piece of its wood sinking in water, while a pieceof the same size of Q. alba will swim. The leaves, in America, are5 in. or 6 in. long, and 3in. or 4 in. broad; oval, and uniformly den-tate, with the teeth more regular, but less acute, than those of Q. P.palustris ; the leaf terminating in a point. When beginning to unfoldin spring, the leaves are covered with a thick white down, and theyappear somewhat wrinkled ; but, when fully expanded, they are per-fectly glabrous, smooth, and of a delicate texture. The petiole,which is rather short, is yellow, and the colour becomes brighterand more conspicuous in autumn. The acorns are long, of anoblong-oval shape : they are produced in pairs, on a short peduncle,and are enveloped for about one third of their length in pear-shapedcups, covered with loose scales. They are sweet, and of a clearlight brown colour. This oak, according to the younger Michaux,is not one of those which grow promiscuously with other trees inforests; but it is found in small patches, in particular habitats, onlyon high grounds, thickly strewed with stones, or covered with rocks.“ Thus it is often seen on the steep and rocky banks of the Hudson,and on the shores of Lake Champlain; and still more frequently onthe Alleghanies, in Pennsylvania and Virginia.” On these moun-tains, it is sometimes found where the soil is so meagre, that thetrees do not exceed 20 ft. or 25 ft. in height, and their trunks 8 in.or 10 in. in diameter. In Pennsylvania, Virginia, and Maryland,this species is known by the name of the chestnut oak; while onthe banks of the Hudson it is called the rock oak; and the youngerMichaux, combining the two names, calls it the rock chestnut oak.It was introduced in 1800; and there are trees in the HorticulturalSociety’s Garden, and at Messrs. Loddiges’s. The wood, thoughtoo porous to be used as staves for casks to contain spirituousliquors, is esteemed, in New York, next to that of the white oak forthe construction of ships. It is employed for the knees and frames;pieces adapted for which are rarely to be obtained from the whiteoak; while the rock chestnut oak, “ growing up,” as Michaux says,“in a continual controversy with the winds,” produces a greatnumber of twisted and crooked branches, or large limbs, perfectlywell adapted for the purpose. It is also considered superior to anyother species, except the live oak, for fuel. The bark, at New Yorkand in Pennsylvania, is esteemed the best for tanning; but only thatof the secondary branches, and of the trunks of young trees, is em-ployed. Michaux suggests that the tree might grow in exposedrocky places in Europe, where the acorns might be dropped increvices in the rocks, or planted in barren places, where the soilappears incapable of other cultivation.

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