Page:The American Cyclopædia (1879) Volume XII.djvu/566

 552 OAK old, shining green on the upper and pale on the under surface ; the acorns are about an inch long, in a hemispherical saucer-shaped cup, which is roughened with rounded tubercles ; White Oak (Quercus alba). the kernel is usually sweet, but varies in dif- ferent trees, and the better kinds when roasted are not an unwelcome substitute for chestnuts ; the tree fruits so seldom that it is the popular notion that it bears only once in seven years. It is found as far north as Lake Winnipeg, and extends to Florida and the gulf states. The wood of the white oak, on account of its hard- ness, toughness, and durability, is regarded as White Oak Tree. fitted to a greater variety of uses than that of any other tree except the white pine; it is largely employed in ship building, carriage and wagon making, and cooperage, and for various agricultural implements. Among its minor uses is the making of coarse baskets, as the wood of young trees is easily divided into splints of great flexibility and strength ; similar splints are used for chair bottoms. The bark is valuable for tanning, and on account of its astringency is used in medicine both internally and as a bath. As a fuel white oak is much inferior to hickory, but it makes excellent char- coal. The white oak is long-lived, and speci- mens supposed to have been in existence be- fore the settlement of the country are still standing ; it is of slow growth, but does not cease to grow as it gets larger. On account of the great value of the wood, the trees are rap- idly disappearing, and no provision is made for future supplies. As an ornamental tree the white oak is much esteemed. In autumn the leaves turn to a characteristic purplish color, and remain upon the tree until a new growth begins in spring. The post oak (Q. obtusilobd), also called rough and box white oak, is smaller, Post or Rough White Oak (Quercus obtusiloba). with a denser foliage, and is easily distinguish- ed by its leaves, which are pale and rough above and yellowish downy beneath ; their up- per lobes are much larger than the lower, and one- to three-notched ; the acorn is one half to three fourths of an inch long, ovoid, with a deep saucer-shaped cup one third to one half its length, and a sweet kernel. This tree is found from New England southward, prefer- ring poor and dry soils, and in the western states it is found on the tracts of poor land known as post-oak barrens. It rarely grows over 40 or 50 ft. high and 12 to 18 in. in diam- eter ; it has such a tendency to branch, pro- ducing even when growing thickly branches very low down, that it does not afford tim- ber of much length ; its wood is fine-grained, strong, yellowish, and regarded as more dura- ble than any other except the live oak; its durability when used for posts has given it its common name ; it is considered the best wood