BROAD-LEAVED TREES: THE OAKS
Our American trees may be divided roughly into two classes: (1) those
which keep their leaves the year round, known as _evergreens_; (2) those
whose leaves drop off in the fall, called _broad-leaved_, or _deciduous_
trees, in distinction from the evergreens, whose leaves are usually
needle-shaped.
Among the broad-leaved family are such trees as the oak, chestnut,
hickory, maples, elms, etc.; and among the evergreens or cone-bearing
trees are the pines, spruces, hemlocks, firs, and cedars.
The oak family is a very important one, the wood being hard and strong
and the tree a sturdy, healthy, and well-known specimen of tree life.
White oak is perhaps the most common member of the oak family. It grows
to a very large size and has a leaf of the form shown in Fig. 79. Observe
carefully the outline of the leaf and compare it with the sketch of the
next form.
The white oak, like all oaks, bears acorns, and its timber is used as
a standard when comparing different kinds of wood. If we say that the
strength of white pine is one half, we mean one half that of white oak,
and in all timber calculations white oak is the standard, just as the
yard and mile are standards of length. In work which requires strength,
such as carriage making, shipbuilding, and cooperage, white oak is used
very extensively.
The quartered oak used so much for furniture is obtained by cutting the
logs in a special manner. The method of cutting gives a beautiful mottled
effect with the silver rays spread out in irregular white splashes on a
dark background.
We might separate the oak into two distinct groups: (1) those trees whose
acorns ripen in one season; (2) those which require two years. The acorns
of this latter group remain on the tree throughout the first winter and
ripen the second summer.
To the first class belong the white oak just mentioned, the post oak,
chestnut oaks, mossy-cup oak, and live oak.
[Illustration: FIG. 79. Typical Leaf of the White Oak]
In the second class are the red, scarlet, black, pin, laurel, and willow
oaks.
The difference in the leaves of these trees is so great that we need
never mistake one for the other. Notice the cut of the red oak and
compare it with that of the white oak. The latter has rounded lobes,
while the red-oak leaf has sharp points and the fingers of the leaf are
indented again with smaller teeth.
The different trees in the white-oak family all have leaves with rounded
lobes, and most of those in the red-oak group have pointed ones, yet
there is a difference between members of the same family, just as among
human beings.
We can tell at a glance whether a man is a negro, a Chinaman, or a white
man. If a white man, he may be a Frenchman or an American; and again, if
an American, he may belong to the Jones family. But all the members of
the Jones family do not look alike and we know one from another.
[Illustration: FIG. 80. Leaf of the Post Oak]
This is true of trees. No two are alike, and we can tell from observation
whether a tree is an evergreen or a broad-leaved tree, whether it
belongs to the white-oak group; and after studying trees a little we can
tell whether a member of this group is a white oak, a post oak, or a
mossy-cup oak.
Compare the post-oak leaf (Fig. 80) with that of the white oak. There is
not a great difference in form, but the post-oak leaf is thick, leathery,
and dark green, while the white oak has a beautiful thin, light green
leaf, which turns red in the fall.
The post oak is a rougher and coarser tree than the other, and is
sometimes called _iron oak_ on account of its very hard, tough wood.
[Illustration: FIG. 81. Leaf of Mossy-Cup Oak]
=29. The Mossy-Cup Oak.= One of the most beautiful oaks we have in
America grows in the South and West, and is only rarely found in our
parks in the East. It is called the _mossy-cup oak_ because the large
acorn which it bears is surrounded by a bushy fringe which almost hides
the nut. This acorn is a sight never to be forgotten. The leaf is larger
than that of the white oak, and although the two leaves look somewhat
alike, the divisions of the mossy-cup leaf are not as regular as those
of the white oak, and it is not so thin and delicate.
Its wood is very strong and is valuable for many purposes, such as boats,
carriages, farming implements, railroad ties, and cooperage.
=30. Black Oak and Black-jack Oak.= These two trees are usually found
growing in wild places, and the black-jack oak is often called _barren
oak_ from the fact that it frequents bleak and barren plains, such as the
sandy stretches of New Jersey and Long Island.
[Illustration: FIG. 82. Leaves of Black Oak and Black-jack Oak
(Black-jack on right)]
The sketch shows the difference in the leaves, that of the black-jack
having only three main lobes, or divisions, while the black oak has
five. However, the leaves of these two trees vary considerably, and one
must always look for the typical leaf, which is the one shown in the
sketch. The black-jack is a small, shrubby tree, with branches often
twisted and contorted, and its wood is not very valuable except as fuel
or for making charcoal.
[Illustration: FIG. 83. Leaf of Red Oak]
[Illustration: FIG. 84. Wood of the Red Oak, showing three sections. The
one on the left shows annual rings obtained by a horizontal cut through
the tree. Central view shows vertical cut at center of tree. View on
right shows vertical cut between center and bark as illustrated in Fig.
73.]
The acorns require two seasons for ripening, as do those of the red,
scarlet, and pin oaks.
=31. The Red Oak.= The red oak is one of our largest and most noble
trees, growing taller even than the white oak, and may always be
distinguished by its very large, shiny, dark green leaves.
Its bark is also much smoother and darker than the white oak. Its acorn
is very bitter and can easily be recognized by its shallow cup and by its
large size. It is the largest of the two-year acorns. The wood of the red
oak is darker than that of the white, and is used in the manufacture of
furniture.
[Illustration: FIG. 85. Scarlet Oak]
=32. The Scarlet Oak.= This tree is often confused with the red, but a
glance at the leaves will show a great difference. That of the scarlet
has deeper indentations and is much more slender and skeleton-like in
shape. It takes its name from the bright scarlet or red tinge it takes
on when the leaves change color in the fall.
=33. The Pin Oak.= The pin-oak leaf is much more readily confounded with
the scarlet oak than that of any other tree. In fact, no two trees have
leaves so nearly alike as these two; yet a glance at two typical leaves
placed side by side will show considerable difference.
The pin-oak leaf is smaller than the other, and in proportion to its size
the indentations are not so deep.
[Illustration: FIG. 86. Pin Oak]
The pin-oak tree has a great many small branchlets, or stems, which give
the tree the appearance of a bundle of pins, especially when the leaves
are off in winter. It is a beautiful tree and is now being planted very
extensively as a shade tree. It is hardy, and stands city air very well
indeed. Its bark is rich in tannic acid, which is used in tanning leather.
The oak family is such a large and valuable one that we cannot afford
to pass it over lightly. In the South grows the willow oak, famous for
its shade and its leaves, which resemble those of the willow. A little
farther north we find, along the Ohio valley, the _shingle oak_, so
called from the fact that its wood is mostly made into shingles. It is
also known as the _laurel oak_, because its leaves are shaped like those
of the laurel, although not so glossy.
[Illustration: FIG. 87. Pin Oak in Winter]
This is such an odd shape for an oak leaf that one would be likely to
pass it by and not recognize it but for the fact that it bears acorns.
This is always the test,—“By their fruits ye shall know them.”
If we meet a new tree which seems not to be an oak because its leaves are
new to us, and it bears acorns, we may be sure it is an oak.
A very interesting group of trees which come under this head are the
chestnut oaks. At first glance one would take one of these trees to be a
chestnut, but it bears acorns and must therefore be an oak. The sketch
shows the two leaves side by side.
[Illustration: FIG. 88.
Chestnut
Chestnut Oak]
Let us examine them closely. Although they slightly resemble each other,
by looking carefully we see that the teeth on the chestnut leaf are
pointed, while those on the chestnut oak are decidedly rounded. There is
also a difference in proportion, as the chestnut leaf is long and narrow,
while that of the chestnut oak is broader.
There are several varieties of chestnut oak, but their leaves are quite
similar and they all belong to the white-oak group and ripen their acorns
in one season. They grow to a large size, one famous from Revolutionary
times at Fishkill-on-the-Hudson measuring seven feet in diameter. The
acorns are sweet and are eagerly sought after by the squirrels.
The wood is durable in exposed places and is used for cooperage, railroad
ties, and fencing.
=34. The Live Oak.= No list of American oaks would be complete without
the live oak. This is a southern tree and is remarkable in many ways.
Its leaf has no indentations, remains green all winter, and is thick and
leathery.
[Illustration: FIG. 89. Leaf of Live Oak]
The wood is extremely heavy, a cubic foot weighing nearly sixty pounds.
It is as hard as it is heavy, and although it takes a high polish and has
a fine grain, it soon dulls the edge of a tool.
Before the age of steel, when all ships were wooden, it was much used in
shipbuilding, and the government bought large tracts of land where live
oak grew abundantly, so that the United States navy should never lack the
necessary timber.
It grows along the Atlantic coast, south from Virginia, and along the
Gulf to Texas.