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TO WHICH IS ADDKD A DESCRtPTinX OF Till-; MOST VSEFl'I, OF THE EUROPEA]^ FOREST TREES. ILLUSTBATBD BY 158 COLORED ENQHAVINOa. ' TRAXSI.ATKn IROM THF. FUKNTH (IF F. ANDREW MICIIAUX, MEMDEB OP TIIK I'lin.Osni'mUAL ."OllMY (if l-llll.AllKl.l'IIIA, ETC. ETC. WITH NOTKS BY J. JAY SMITH, EDITOR OP THE HORTICI'LTIRIBT, MKMlir.K op THE ACADEMV OP NATIRW. ."CIENrES. ITC. IN THKKF, V() LIMES. VOL. \ 1' H I L A I) K L I' H I A : v\r M. R u 'J^ T 1^: II & c u., SEVENTH ii CHEUKY HTKEET8. i r>, X K :.i| Kntored according to Act of ConpsreM, In the year 186S, by niCK, ItUTTKU * co- in tlip riiiH's (Idle (. of tli(' DiBlriit Ccitrt of tlio Unitpil Stateii for thp Kiistorn Plstrlct of rciiiihylvHnia. STKKEOTYl'Kn BY L. JOHNSON AND CO. i-l(lt,AUKI.t>IIM, ^ ^^ i '< 7 . H CAXTON PRRSB or • niillMAN * to., I'll I LA 111-: LPII I A. TO SAMUEL GEORGE MORTON, M.D., PRB8IBE.NT OF TUB ACADEMY OF NATURAL 9C1KNCE8, PHILADELPHIA, ®j)is ibition MICIIAUX'S XORTTT A^^tERICAN SYLVA IS AFraCTIONATELY INSCUIBKD IJY Ills FRIKND AND BROTHER, J. JAY SMITH. trhniary. KtO. 11 ?3 PREFACE TO THE EDITION OF 1857. ^ The Philadelphia editions of this important work have had a wide circulation iu the several States of the Union, proving how exten- sively the taste of the public is turned to the study of Arboriculture, llie whole of the sheets of the last imprint were destroyed by a nre at the bindery, whither they had been sent for collation ; but for- tunately the original French copper-plates were in another building. This has enabled the new publishers to issue the work in a much improved style, and has allowed opportunity for additional notes and remarks. These might have been more extended ; but it was thought best not to swell the work beyond a reasonable charge. Issued as it is in connection with Nuttall's continuation, the whole forms a work of reference of unrivalled interest and beauty. The period which has elapsed between the editions has taken from us the individuals to whom the public is indebted for the lucid descriptions here reprinted. F. Andre Michaux died iu Paris iu November, 1855. Dr. Samuel George Morton also paid the debt of nature on the 15th of May, 1851, aged fifty-two yeir i> beloved and lamented by a large circle of friends. Thus pass awuy the admirers of nature's works : even ' Art, Glory, Freedom, fail ; but Nature still w /air. "—Byron. J. J. s. [Noth. — When Michaus wrote, Louisiana included all the territory west of the Mississippi, ixec'ptiiif; Tcxnt! and New Mexico and the territory west of the Rocky Mountain.-. This is so well known that it liiis not been thought necessary to alter the tost in any instance where that State is mentioned.] i ^ PREFACE. The foundation of the l^orth American Sylva was laid by tlie labo- rious researches of the ckler Miehaux; who, under the auspices of the French Government, devoted ten years, from 1785 to 1796, to a thorougli exploration of the country, from the sunny sub-tropical groves of Florida to the cold and inhospitable shores of Hudson's Bay; repeatedly visiting all the higher peaks and deepest recesses of the Alleghany Mountains, and extending his toilsome journeys west- ward to the prairies of Illinois and the banks of the Mississippi. lie proposed to Mr. .Teffcrson, then Secretary, of State, to extend his researclies to Oregon, but was prevented from doing so by untoward circumstances. Soon after his return to France, and the year before he fell a victim to scientific zeal upon the coast of Madagascar, the elder Miehaux published his history of Xorth American Oaks, which may be deemed the nucleus of this more comprehensive work, subsequently issued by his son, who accompanied his father in the earlier portions of his travels. Revisiting this country in 1801, and again in 1807, the son made the extended and toilsome researches of which these volumes are the result: they were first published in Paris, in 1810-13. They were translated into English by Ilillhouse, and printed in Paris with French types, in 1819. This edition has been long since exhausted; the second English edition was produced at ^ew Har- mony, Indiana, but was carelessly executed on very inferior paper, though, like the present, the engravings were printed from the origiual copper-plates partly engraved by the celebrated Redoute, which had been brought from Paris by the liberal friend of education and science, the late William ^IcClure, with a view of making the work more generally known among the American people. His brother aud executor, Alexander McCluro, Esq., of New Harmony, still keeping in view the future utility to the community of these expensive engrav- ings, presented them to the late Br. Samuel George Morton, successor of William McClure in the Presidency of the Academy of Natural Sciences of Philadelphia. 1.-1* a 10 PREFACE. m In passing this edition tlirougli tlie press, I have not thought it advisable to make extensive alterations in the text, but liavo left it, Avith some eorrections in the translation, as it was written by its dis- tinguished author, adding a few observations on soil, propagation, &c. &e. These additions may always be distinguished by their being enclosed in brackets. For corrections of Ilillhouse's transla- tion, and in other particulars, I cannot but acknowledge my great indebtedness to my friend Thomas Forrest Betton, M.D., of German- town, rennsylvania. An improvement in the work would have consisted in rearranging the plates according to the demands of modern Science and nomen- clature; but this would have required the renumbering of them, and thus all the numerous references to these in other books would have been erroneous and confused. It was a singular circumstance, and a happy one it has proved for advancing science, that ^fr. Xuttall arrived in this country the very year that the younger Miclianx left it. From that time lie devoted bis talents to Botany, and after visiting a large portion of the United States, with an aptitude for observation, a quickness of eye, tact in discrimination, and tenacity of memory, rarely possessed by one man, he published his extended and most happily-executed botanical work, the "Genera of IS'ortb American Plants." In 1834 he crossed the Rocky Mountains and explored the territory of Oregon and Upper California. With his peculiar qualifications, he prepared the supplement to Michaux's Sylva, in three handsome volnmes, corre- sponding in size with the present, the publication of which, after many delays, was completed in 1849, by my son, in Philadelphia. The two works are now one and homogeneous, the former most highly valued by all lovers of trees, and the latter destined to bo equally so, when the tine products of our newly-acquired Western regions make their way to our gardens and plantations. The frequent references I have made to Mr. Nuttall's volumes will show the reader that his additions to our Sylva are both extensive and important; inspection will convince him that both authors stand on the highest pedestal of merit. J. JAY SMITH. CONTENTS OF YOLUME FIRST. rAot White Oak Qiiercus alba 22 Common European Oak Quercus robur 30 European White Oak Quercus pcclunciilata 32 Mossy-Cup Oak Quercus olivcrformis 33 Over-Cup White Oak Quercus macrocarpa 35 Post Oak Quercus obtusiloba 36 Over-Cup Oak Quercus lyrata 39 Swamp White Oak Quercus prinus discolor 41 Chestnut White Oak Quercus prin us palustris 44 Rock Chestnut Oak ...Quercus pirinus nnnticola 46 Yellow Oak Quercus prinus acuminata 49 Small Chestnut Oak Quercus prinus cJiincapin 50 Live Oak Quercus viretia 52 Cork Oak Quercus suber 55 Willow Oak Quercus phellos 58 Laurel Oak Quercus imbricaria 60 Upland Willow Oak Quercus cinerea 61 Running Oak Quercus piimila 63 Bertram Oak Quercus hetcrophylla 64 Water Oak Quercus aquatica 65 Black Jack Oak Quercus ferruginea 67 Bear Oak Quercus Banisteri 69 Barrens Scrub Oak Quercus Catesbwi 71 Spanish Oak Quercus falcata 73 Black Oak Quercus tinctoria 76 Scarlet Oak Quercus coccinea 79 Gray Oak Quercus borealis 81 11 !l I 'm 12 CONTENTS. Pin Oak Quereus palustris 88 Red Oak Qucrcus rubra 84 Common European Walnut Juglans regia 97 Black Walnut , Juglans nigra 104 Butternut Juglans cathartica 109 Pccannut Hickory Juglans olivaformis 114 Bittcrnut Hickory Juglans amara 116 Water Bitternut Hickory Juglans aquatica 119 Mockernut Hickory Juglans tomentosa 120 ShoUbark Hickory Juglans squamosa 123 Thick Slicllbark Hickory Juglans laciniosa 128 132 135 146 149 153 163 165 167 169 172 Pignut Hickory Juglans j)orcina Nutmeg Hickory Juglans myristica'formis , White Maple Acer eriocarpum Red-Flowering Maple Acer rubrum Sugar Maple Acer saccharinum Black Sugar Tree Acer nigrum Norway Maple Acer platano'ides Sycamore Acer piseudo-platanus Moose Wood Acer striatum Box Elder Acer negu ndo Mountain Maple Acer montanum 175 Dogwood Cornus Jlorida 176 Georgia Bark Pinclcncya pubens 180 Coffee Tree Gi/mnocladiia Canadentis 182 PAQI . 83 . 84 . 97 .104 .100 .114 .116 .119 .120 .123 .128 .132 ,135 ,146 149 153 163 165 167 169 172 175 176 180 182 THE NORTH AMERICAN SYLYA. OAKS. In the greater part of North America, as well as in Europe, there is no tree so generally useful as the Oak. It is every- where the most highly esteemed in the construction of houses and of vessels, and is commonly selected for implements of hus- bandry. It seems, also, to have been multiplied by nature in proportion to its utility. Without insisting upon the diversity of climates to which it is indigenous, we may observe that the number of its known species is already considerable and is daily increasing, particularly on the Western Continent, and that its varieties are infinite. These considerations determined my father in 1801, after his return from the United States, to pub- lish a treatise containing drawings and descriptions of the Oaks of that country, which was favorably received by the lovers of botany and agriculture. The following extract from his work exhibits a just outline of this tree: — "The genus of the Oaks (Introduct. p. 4) comprises many unknown species; most of those which grow in America 13 il ! 14 OAKS. exhibit such various forms while young that they can be ascer- t.ained with certainty only Avhen arrived at maturer years. Often an intermediate variety so neai'ly resenil)los two species that it is difficult to determine, from the foliage, to Avhich of them it belongs. Some species are so variable that it is impos- sible, by the leaves, to recognise their identity in youth and at a more advanced age. Others are so similar that specific cha- racters must be dciived from tuc fructification, which is itself liable to variations and exceptions. It is only by a comparison of stocks of dilferent ages that analogous species can be distin- guished and varieties correctly referred to their species. "I have endeavored to arrange the American Oaks in a natural series, the characters of which I first sought in the fructification : ])ut this aflbrded only unimportant distinctions, such as the position of tlie barren flowers, whether pedunculated or nearly sessile, and the size and pei'iod of the fruit. Neither Wiis I able to found my distinction on the structure of the cup. I was obliged therefore to have recourse to the foliaue, which has been nuide the basis of a division iiuo two sections, the first containing the species with beardless leaves, and the second, those in which the summit or lobes are terminated by a bristle. " The interval between the appearance of the flowt'r and the maturity of the fruit is different in different species; itnd this distinction I have admitted as a pecondary character. "All the Oaks are proved to be monecious. We know, too, that on the Ein'o[H'!in White Oak and other species the female flowers arc situated a])ove the male upon the shoots of the same season; that both are axillary; and that, innnediately after the fecundation, the nuile flowers fade and fall, while the feunile blossom continues advancing through the natural stages till, in the course of the year, it ripens into perfect fruit. But there are some s])ecies whose fertile flowers remain stationai-y a whole year and begin to develop their germ the second spring, pro- bably iK'cause they are not feciuulated the first season; so that i OAKS. 16 ^ i $ eightcer months elapse between the appearance of the flower and the maturity of the fruit. Hence I have formed a subdivi- sion into species of annual and species of biennial fructification. The female flower which is axillary the first season ceases to be so, of course, at the falling of the leaf Several species arc found upon the Old Continent whose fructuation is biennial, such as the Cork Oak, Qiierciis sitbcr, etc." I have deri\'ed great assistance from my father's work, and have adopted his arrangement, which perfectly accords with my own observations. But 1 have inserted several new species, and have suppressed two that were not well ascertained : the existence of one of them is doubtful, and the other is evidently a duplicate. The chief distinction between my work and his consists in the more extended practical observations, which are the fruit of my own researches. My constant aim Avas to ai)preciate the utility of each species in the mechanical arts, and to point out those which are the most deserving of attention in Euro^jc and America. If in this respect mine has some advantage, my lather's work will always preserve its title to the attention of botanists and amateurs of foreign plants, by other details not consistent with my ])lan. They will find, for example, quota- tions from all the authors who had previously taken notice of the species he describes, and. in the plates, leaves of the young plant as well as of the full-grown tree. I have described twenty-six American species, which I have divided into two sections, according to the term of fructification: the first comprising ten species that bear fruit every year; and the second, sixtei-n. of wiiich the IVuctiflcation is bieimial. I have learned l)y nndtiplied t)bservalions that, with the excc})- tion of the Tiivi' Oak. the wood ol' the first section is of a finer texture, more conipnct. and coiiseipiently more durabli'. Tiiniuvus, in the third edition of his SfH'n'cs PhuitunntK ])ub- lished in 1771. described fuurtccn species of Oak. of wliicb five 16 OAKS. only are natives of the New World. Since that period such additions have been made to the list that the new edition of Willdenow's Species Plantarmn, published in 1805, contains forty-four American species ; of which sixteen were recognised by Messrs. Humboldt and Bonpland in Old Mexico, and twenty- six by my father and myself in the United States and the adjacent countries. Probably the American series will be still further augmented by discoveries in the Avestern part of Loui- siana, and in the interior provinces of New Spain, — a country 1200 miles in extent, lying between the United States and Old Mexico, which no naturalist has explored. In America, as we have just observed, are found forty-four species, which are all compi'ised between the 20th and 48th degrees of north latitude; on the Old Continent are enume- rated only thirty, which are scattered on both sides of the equator, beginning at the GOth degree north. This sketch is not without utility, and appears naturally in this place; such parallels might perhaps contribute more than is generally thought to the progress of botany and agriculture, and they deserve particular attention from naturalists travelling in foreign countries. It would be interesting to possess com- parative tables of those plants which are found in the higher latitudes of both continents, and of the trees and shrubs of the temperate climates of America with the analogous species found in nearly the same latitude in Asia. I have hmg entertained a wish, which will doubtless be shared by all who interest them- selves in the science, that botanists would go irore deeply into the geography of plants. The rapid progress of the young Americans who are beginning to devote themselves with ardor to the study of Natural History will soon aflbrd the requisite information concerning their own portion of the globe. M [For a continuation of the subject, and for further interesting particulars respecting the Oaks, see Nuttall's Supplement to this 4 OAKS. 17 :^ work, vol. i. p. 1, et seq. Six new species are there figured, with additional information regarding several treated of by Michaux. iSoil, Situation, and Climate. The Oaks, to attain their full size, require a deep, loamy soil, a situation low rather than elevated, and a climate not liable to late spring frosts, which injure both the blossoms and leaves. In elevated situations, or in the extreme North, those species which, under favorable circumstances, form the most magnificent trees, become, as in the case of other trees, mere shrubs The Oaks which flourish on the worst soils are the low-growing kinds belonging to the section Ilex, and especially those belonging to the group Phellos ; and those which require the best soil are the Quercus sessiliflora, the Q. cerris, and most of the sorts composing the American group Rubi'so. Propagation, (fee. The Oak is propagated with difficulty by every other mode except from seed; and, generally, time will be gained when the acorns are sown where the plants are in- tended finally to remain. It is only, therefore, where peculiar varieties are to be continued that the process of grafting is re- sorted to ; and the mode by approach is almost the only one that is certain to be attended with success. The best stock for grafting on is Q. cerris, on which some sorts may be successfully budded. The acorns need not be gathered from the tree, but may be collected from the ground immediately after they have dropped, and may either be sown then or kept till the following spring. If they are to be kept, they should be made perfectly dry in the sun or in an airy shed, mixed with dry sand, in the proportion of three bushels of sand to one of acorns, or with dry moss, and then excluded from the air and vermin, by being put into barrels or boxes, or laid up in a cellar, or buried in heaps and covered with a sufficient thickness of earth to excludes the weather. Very few of any species will germinate after having Vol. r.-2 I! 18 OAKS. been kept a year. When acorns are to be sown in a nursery, the soil ought to be thoroughly prepared and rendered fine; and after the earth is drawn off the beds, or the drills opened, the acorns may either be scattered over the beds, or along the drills, so that the nuts may be about two inches apart. The acorns, before covering, must be patted down with the back of a spade in the beds, and with the back of a wooden-headed rake in the drills. The covering, of well-broken soil, should vary in depth according to the size of the acorn, Ih inches being enough for those of the largest size and half an inch for those of the smallest size. No mode of depositing acorns in the soil can be worse than that of dropping them in holes made by too small a dibble. The acorn drops into the hole, and becomes wedged by its sides before it gets to the bottom ; and, jf the upper extremity should be downward instead of upward, it can hardly be ex- pected to grow. Sown late in March, the period between the depositing the acorn and its becoming a plant is lessened and the danger from destruction by vermin somewhat diminished. When it is necessary to remove the plant, the tap-root should be shortened a year at least in advance ; side-pruning is soon necessary when the object is a straight clean trunk. The American Oaks vary so exceedingly in their leaves at different seasons of the year, in different st.ages of their growth, and in different localities, that some experience is necessary in deciding on them. Like most other trees, the Oak seldom bears an abundant crop of fruit for two years in succession, and it increases in pro- ductiveness with age. All the species push up shoots from the collar when cut down, but only one or two species from the root. After Oaks have stood in good soil and a suitable climate for five or six years, they grow with rapidity till they have attained the age of thirty or forty years; and the life of some species is kncnvn to extend to upward of one thousand year,-*. There are some Oaks in Britain which are believed to have OAKS. 19 been old trees in the time of William the Conqueror; and Pliny mentions a Quercus ilex which was an old tree when Rome was founded, and which was still living in his time. The Merton Oak measures at the surface of the ground sixty-three feet two inches. The Cowthorp Oak, in Yorkshire, measures seventy-eight feet in circumference near the ground, and its age is estimated as nearly coeval with the Christian era. An Oak in Lower Char rante, in France, is declared, on good authority, to measure from eighty-five to ninety-four feet. Particular attention should be given to the remarks of the author on the subject of planting the Oak for future use. The General or State Governments should never grant a charter for a railroad or canal, without a clause requiring the planting of useful trees, such as the White Oak, for instance, at the North, and the Live Oak wherever the climate will admit, along both sides of the route. A store of ship-timber would thus be accu- mulating for national or mercantile service, whence it could easily be transported to the seaboard in emergencies, — a plan which would shade the road and be advantageous to the banks of a canal. The French Government has shown a wise fore- sight in this particular; her turnpikes are often thus planted, and the product is at the call of the authorities.] METHODICAL DISPOSITION OF THE OAKS OF NORTH AMERICA, INCLUDING THREE EUROPEAN SPECIES. Mmecia polyandria. Linn. Amentacece. Juss. FIRST DIVISION. Fructification annual; leaves beardless. First Section. — Leaves lobed. 1. White Oak Qttercus alba. 2. Common European Oak . . Querciis robur. 2. European White Oak . . . Quercus robur pedunctdcUa. 3. Mossy-cup Oak Quercus oUvasformis. 4. Over-cup White Oak .... Quercus macrocarpa. 5. Post Oak Quercus obtusiloba. 6. Over-cup Oak Quercus lyrata. Second Section. — Leaves toothed. 7. Swamp White Oak .... Quercus prlnus discolor. 8. Chestnut White Oak . . . Quercus pr'mus ^mlustris. 9. Rock Chestnut Oak .... Qiiercus 'prinus mmiticola. 10. Yellow Oak Quercus prinus acuminata. 11. Small Chestnut Oak . . . . Quercus prinus clmwapin. 20 METHODICAL DISPOSITION, ETC. 21 SECOND DIVISION. Fructification biennial; leaves mucronated, (except in the 13th species.) First Section. — Leaves obtuse or entire. 12. Live Oak Quercus virens. 13. Cork Oak Quercus suher. 14. Willow Oak Quercus phelloa. . 15. Laurel Oak Quercus imhricaria. 16. Upland Willow Oak .... Quercus cinerea. 17. Running Oak Quercus pumila. Second Section. — Leaves lobed. 18. Bartram Oak Quercus heierophylla. 19. Water Oak Quercus aquatica. 20. Black Jack Oak Quercus f err uginea. 21. Bear Oak Quercus hanisteri. Third Section. — Leaves nvultifid or rmny-clefted. 22. Barrens Scrub Oak Quercus catesbcei. 23. Spanish Oak Quercus falcata. 24. Black Oak Quercus tinctoria. 25. Scarlet Oak Quercus coccinea. 26. Gray Oak Quercus amhigua. 27. Pin Oak Querctis palustris. 28. Bed Oak Quercus rubra. WHITE OAK. QuEROUS ALBA. Q. folus subccqualitcr pbmatijidis; laciniis oblongis, ob- tnsis, plerumqii^ intcgcrrimis ; frudu majiisado ; enpuld erateratd ; tuber- culoso-scabratd ; glandc ovatd. TiiROUGUouT the United States, and in Canada, this tree is known by the name of White OaJc. The environs of the small town of Troia Rivieres, in Canada, latitude 46° 20', and the lower part of the river Kennebeck, in the district of Maine, are the most northern points at which it was observed by my father and myself. Thence we traced it along the searshore to a dis- tance beyond Capo Canaveral, latitude 28°, and westward from the ocean to the country of the Illinois, — an extent of more than 1200 miles from northeast to southwest, and nearly as much from east to west. It is, however, by no means equally diffused over this vast tract ; in the district of Maine, Vermont, and Lower Canada, it is little multiplied, and its vegetation is repressed by the severity of the winter. In the lower part of the Southern States, in the Floridas and Lower Louisiana, it is found only on the borders of the swamps with a few other trees which likewise shun a dry and barren soil. This region is generally so sandy that it is covered with a continued growth of Pines, as will be more particularly mentioned in the descrip- tion of the Long-leaved Pine. The White Oak is observed also to be uncommon on lands of extraordinary fertility, like those of Tennessee, Kentucky, and Genesee : and, of all the spacious valleys watered by the Western rivers, I have travelled whole days in those States without seeing a single stock, though the few that exist, both there and in the Southern States, exhibit the most luxuriant vegetation. The White Oak abounds chiefly in the Middle States and in Virginia, particularly in that part of Ptmnsylvania and Virginia 22 hlongis, oh- itd; iuber- s tree is the small ;he lower , are the ly father to a dis- ard from of more learly as equally /"ermont, tation is ■ part of ma, it is ler trees egion is growth descrip- ved also ce those spacious d whole ugh the exhibit I and in l^irginia ■ llii I /'/./'.'■ ll I I WHITE OAK. 28 which lies between the Alleghanies and the Ohio, a distance of about 150 miles, beginning at Brownsville on the Monongahela. Near Greensburg, Macconnelsville, Unionville, and Washington Court-house, I have seen large forests, nine-tenths of which con- sisted of White Oaks, whose healthful appearance evinced the favorable natux'e of the soil, though in general they were not more than fifteen inches in diameter. East of the mountains this tree is found in every exposure, and in every soil which is not exti'emely dry or suljject to long inundations; but the largest stocks grow in humid places. In the Western districts, Avhero it composes entire forests, the face of the country is undulated, and the yellow soil, consisting partly of clay with a mixture of calcareous stones, yields abundant crops of Avheat. By the foregoing observations, it appears that the severity of the climate, the fertility of the soil, its dryness or humidity, are the causes which render the White Oalc so rare over three- quarters of the United States that it is inadequate to supply the local demand, though the country does not contain a fourth of the ])opulation which it is capable of supporting. Among the Anierican Oaks this species bears the greatest analogy to the Euro})ean Oak, especially to the variety called European White Oak, [Querriifi pednnruhifa.) which it resembles in foliage and in the qualities of its wood. Tlie American Wliite Oak is seventy or eighty feet liigh. and six or seven feet in diameter; but its proportions vary with tlie soil and climate. The leaves are regularly and ol)liquely divided into ol)long, rouiuled lobes, destitute of points; the sections apjieared to bt the deepest in the most liumid soils. Soon after their imfold- ing, they are reddish above and white and downy beneath; when fully grown, they are smooth and of a light green on the upper surface and glaucous underneath. In the fall they eliang(! to a bright violet color, and form an agreeal)le contrnsr with the surrounding foliage which has not ^et suft'ered by the frost. "% 24 WHITE OAK. !; ii;i!i?' 1 1 J.I r 1 This is the only Oak on which a few of the dried leaves persist till the circulation is renewed in the spring. By this peculiarity and by the whiteness of the bark, from which it derives its name, it is easily distinguished in the winter. The acorns are of an oval form, large, very sweet, contained in rough, shallow, grayish cups, and bovne singly or in pairs, by peduncles eight or ten lines in length, attached, as in all the species with annual fructification, to the shoots of the season. The fruit of the White Oak is rarely abundant, and frequently for several years in succession a few handfuls of acorns could hardly be collected in a large forest where the tree is multiplied. Some stocks produce acorns of a deep blue color; but I have found only two indications of this variety, one a flourishing tree in the garden of Mr. W. Hamilton, [now the Woodlands Cemetery,] near Philadelphia, and the other in Virginia. The trunk is clad in a white bark, variegated frequently with large black spots. On stocks less than sixteen inches in dia- meter the epidermis is divided into squares; on old trees, grow- ing in moist grounds, it is in the form of plates laterally at- tached. The wood is reddish, and very similar to that of the European Oak, though lighter and less compact, as may be proved by splitting billets of each of the same size; in the American species the vessels wliich occupy the intervals of the concentrical circles are visi])ly less replete. But, of all the American Oaks which I whall describe, this is be.^t and most generally used, being stnmg, duralile, and of large dimensions. It is less em])loyed than formerly in building only Iwcause it ia more scarce and costly. At Phibidelphia, Baltimore, and in the smaller towns of the Middle States, the frame of all well-built houses, whether of brick or wood, is of White Oak. West of the Alleghanies, wiiere pine l)oards ar.: not easily procured, the White Oak ia substituted I'nr the floors and for the exterior covering of the frame, notwithstanding its liability to warp and split. ■4 A' ■* •* WHITE OAK. 26 .,Sj ..3(1 .1 It is much usod in the construction of mills and dams, particu- larly for such parts as are exposed to be alternately Avet and dry. The wooden bridge, nearly oOOO feet long, that unites Boston and Cambridge, is supported by posts of White Oak, from four- teen to fifty feet in length, which replaced those of White Pine on which it originally stood. The excellent properties of this wood cause it to be preferred for a great variety of uses, among which are nuuiy articles manufactured by the wheelwright. This trade is carried to the greatest perfection at Philadelphia, and its wares are highly esteemed for solidity I)oth at home and aljroad. White Oak perfectly seasoned is employed I'or the frame of coaches, wagons, and sledges, for the mould-board of ploughs, the teeth of wooden harrows, the felloes and spokes of wheels, particularly the spokes of coach-wheels. In the Northern, Middle, and Western States, the naves are also made of Oak, in the country; but it splits too easily to be proper lor this object. Except in the district of Maine, it is always chosen for the bow or circular back of windsor-chairs. The wood of the young stocks is veiy elastic, and is susceptible of minute division; hence it is pre- ferred for the large baskets used in harvesting, for the hoop of sieves, the bottom of riddles, and the handles of coach-whips, which are braided and covered with leather; at Boston it is chosen I'or pail-handles, and in Maine for axe-helves. In many parts of the Middle States the White Oak is selected for th ' posts of rural fences, and beyond the Laurel-Hill Moun- tain, in Pennsylvania, where it is common, it forms the entire enclosure. The biirk is considered by many tanners as the best for pre- paring leather for saddles and other similar oI)jei'ts: it is little used, however, because in the United States the bark of the trunk and large limbs only is employed; and on these the cellular tissue is much thinner in the White than in the Ked Oak, which is, besides, more nitnndant. I.— 'J* i ! ' i 1 « 1' 1 iH 1 1 1l : ' 1 1 ! ! 1 I M ! I ! i 26 WHITE OAK. I have been told that the bark yields a purple dye. Though I have not witnessed the fact, I am disposed to believe in its existence, as I received the information from persons residing several hundred miles from each other. But, if the color waa not defective in permanence or intensity, it would have found its way into commerce, like the QncrcUron of the Black Oak. Of all the species that grow east of the Mississippi, the White Oak alone furnishes staves fitted for containing wine and spirituous liquors. The domestic consumption for this purpose is immense, and vast quantities are exported to the West Indies, Great Britain, and the islands of Madeira and Teneriffe. The Post Oak might, indeed, be applied to the same use ; but even in Maryland and Virginia, where it is most common, it is not sufficiently multiplied to supply the local demand. The Book Chestinit Oak and the Swamp White Oak in the Northern and Middle States, the Chestnut White Oak and the Over-cup Oak in the South, are compact enough to prevent the escape of spirits and fine oils, j-et porous enough to absorb them. If they united every requisite quality, and were employed for this purpose, they would be consumed in less than ten years. It is well understood at Bordeaux that the wood of the Euro- pean White Oak is closer-grained than that of the American species, and the preference is given to our domestic growth, or to that imported from Dantzic. The American Oak is exclu- sively employed in Maderia and the West Indies, only because it is cheaper and more easily procured. White Oak staves are exported from all the parts of the Northern and Middle States, and from New Orleans. Those which come from Baltimore, Norfolk, and New Orleans, are far superior to those of the Northern States; the difference results naturally from that of the soil and climate. The qmmtity of Onk staves exported to England and the West Indies appears, by two official documents that I have examined, to be considerable. In 1808, the value received by WHITE OAK. 27 . Though ieve in its IS residing I color waa lave found ick Oak. Issippi, the g wine and lis purpose /"est Indies, riffe. The ; l)ut even n, it is not Oak in the ak and the prevent the jsorb them. iployed for n years. f the p]uro- Anierican growth, or k is excUi- iily because arts of the ns. Those ans, are far 'uce results 1(1 nnd tlie lal 1 have leceivtHl by England amounted to more than $146,000, and the number of staves sent to the West Indies exceeded 53,000,000. I am unable to fix the proportion of the two species of White and Ked Oak; probably more of the first are sent to England, and of the second to the Colonies. The price of both has varied surprisingly within a hundx'cd j'ears. In 1720, staves for bari'els were sold at Philadelphia at $3 a thousand-; in 1798, at $18; and in 1818, at $30. In August, 1807, before the Ameri- can Embargo, they were advertised at $55, and in April, 1808, after that municipal regulation became known, at $100. M: The young White Oak, on account of its elasticity, is very proper for hoops, but it has less strength and less durability than the Hickory. '10 Among the uses of this wood, the most important is in ship- building. In all the dock-yards of the Northern and Middle States, except in the district of Maine, it is almost exclusively employed for the Reel, and always for the lower part of the frame and the sides ; it is preferred for the knees when sticks of a proper form can be found. In the smaller ports south of New York, the upper part of the frame is also of White Oak; but such vessels are less esteemed than those built of more durable '^^ wood. 'W At Boston, the tree-nails, or the pins by which the side-planks are attached to the ribs, are of this si)ecies. ■^ To obtain correct notions on the comparative value of the American White Oak and the European Oak, I consulted French, ./ English, and American shipwrights, in almost all the ports of the United States. • They generally agreed that the European Oak was tougher and more durable from the superior closeness of its I grain, but that the American species was more elastic and re- quired a shorter time, with only half the weight, to bend it. This advantage, though important in ship-])uilding, does not compensate for the openness of its pores. Experience, however, every day shows that by growing in places long inhabited its i; I ' 1 !| I i\ 28 WHITE A K. quality is improved; and, if the American vessels are less durable than those built in Europe, it is because the timber is not thoroughly seasoned. The greater part of the immense quantity of White Oak ex- ported from the United States is sent to England. It is shipped from the Northern and Middle States in the form of boards and of square timber: what goes to England from Quebec is brought from the shores of LaKe Champlain, for Canada probably furnishes hardly enough for its own consumption. By an extract from the custom-house books of St. John, which I have already quoted, 143,000 cubic feet of Oak Avoidd appear to have entered by this port during the first six months of 1807. Oddy, in his Treatise on the Commerce of Europe, says that in the English dock-yards the White Oak from British America is esteemed excellent timber. The o])inion, simply considered, is correct; but that which comes from Baltimore and Philadelphia must still be superior. Befoi-e I conclude this article, I must be allowed to liazard a conjecture on the consequences of the neglect of all means of preserving and multiplying this tree in the United States, — C(msequences which neither the Federal Government nor the States have taken any measures to pnnent. From the increase of population, and from the impoverishment of the soil produced l)y a gradual change in the climate, the White Oak will pro- bivbly, in less than fifty years, be the most rare in the Middle States, where it is now the most abundant, aiul in Tennessee, Kentucky, Genesee, and farther north, where it is the least multiplied, it will l)c tlic uKjst common, and will replace tlie species which now compose the forests, ])ut whii'h the soil will then lie too fi'eble to sustain. Thus, near the river Kennebeck, in the midst of th(> primitive forests, conqiosed of the LiC hcs, the Canoe Birch, the Sugar Maple, and the Ilendock Spruce, T have observed small tracts, formerly cleared and since aban- doned, which are naturally repeopled with the White and Gray St. WHITE OAK. 29 are less timber is Oak ex- is shipped )oarcls and is brought probably St. John, )ak would ix months iropp, says m British m, simply Baltimore 3 hazard a means of States, — it nor the le increase 1 produced X. will pro- he Middle Fennessee, the least ppliice tlie e soil will Lcnnebeck, !> T. r lies, Spruce, I ince aban- and Gray vt ;;j^ Oaks; and, in the lower part of Virginia, poor Red Oaks, Yellow Pines, and Loblolly Pines, are extensively replacing trees of a better quality. East of the mountains, the valleys that lie along the rivers arc, with a few exceptions, the only places where the Oak could be advantageously reared; but these fertile lands are more profitably devoted to husbandry. The American White Oak cannot, in my opinion, be regarded as a useful acquisition to the forests of Europe. Its elasticity, which renders the young stocks proper for hoops, is doubtless a valuable property; but the Chestnut of France is superior for this purpose, because it is moi'e durable. The White Oak is used in the royal dock-yards of England, probably because it has been found impossible to procure sup- jilies of European Oak. Perhaps it is employed only for the lower part of the frame, while the European Oak is reserved for the upper timbers. If the advantage of this comparison be allowed to be on the side of the European species, the Americans should lose no time in introducing it into their forests. To corporations parti- cularly, whose property is less frequently alienated, I talce the liberty of addressing this advice, which, if followed, would bo productive of great advantage to themselves and to the public. The analogy of the climates leaves no doubt of the perfect suc- cess of this tree in the United States, an example of which is found in the garden of Messrs. J. & W. Bartram, three miles from Philadelphia, where there is a large stock which has yielded seed for several years, and which continues to expand with viaor. ■» [In ornamental planting, the AVhite Oak should have abun- dant space around it for expanding ; under such circumstances it will throw out long limbs and lateral branches of the most picturesque beauty. This tree extends much lurther to the west than is stated by ( -■ 30 COMMON EUROPEAN OAK. our author. Mr. Douglas considers Lake Winnipeg its northern limit, where it is rarely over ten or twenty feet high. The White Oak everywhere shrinks from tlie sea-breeze. A tree of this species, near Boston, Massachusetts, measured in 1840 twenty-five feet and nine inches in circumference.] PLATE I. A branch xoith leaves and acorns of the natural size. [See Nuttall's Supplement, vol. i. pp. 24, oo.] COMMON EUROPEAN OAK. QuEBCUS ROBUR. Q. folus petiolatis, oblongis, glabris, sinuatis, lobis ro- tundatis ; fructibus oblongis, sessilibus. To the particular attention bestowed upon this interesting tree in modern times is owing its division into two species,— the Common European Oak, Quercus robur, and the European White Oak, Quercus pedunculata. These two species, which are much alike and are usually considered as the same, grow in the same countries, and fre- quently together. They constitute the greater part of the European forests, from the 60th to the 35th degree of north latitude, overspreading a great part of the north of Asia and the northern extremity of Africa. They are most abundantly mul- tiplied on the shores of the Black Sea, in Germany, England, France, and some parts of Italy, where the climate is particu- larly fav()ral)le to their growth. The Common European Oak is from sixty to eighty feet in northern ?li. The ri measured ice.] ?, lobis ro- terestmg pecies, — European usually and fre- t of the of north . and the itly mul- England, particu- y feet in i I A I IMi COMMON EUROPEAN OAK. 81 height, numerously ramified, and crowned with an ample and majestic summit. The bark upon the trunk is thick, and, upon old stocks, (1< oply furrowed. The leaves are pctiolated, smooth, and of a uniiorm color on both sides, enlarged toward the sum- mit, and very coarsely toothed. The acorns are oval and sessile^ which is the principal diflerence between the two species. This tree prefers high places and the declivities of hills, Avith a barren gravelly soil; hence it grows more slowly, and its wood is more compact, tougher, and heavier, than that of the European White Oak. It is less used for household stuff and other kinds of joinery, because it is less easily wrought ; but is more esteemed for building and for works that require great strength and dui-ability. The Common European Oak is subdivided into many vaine- ties, the most valuable of which are the European Black Oak. Querciis rohur lamiginosa, and the Qaercus rohur glomerata. The first is only thirty or forty feet high, with small thi^k leaves, very downy underneath ; its timber is compact and ex- cellent for fuel. The second never rises to a great height ; the leaves are small, but smooth on both sides; the acorns are of an inferior size and collected in clusters upon a short common peduncle.* PLATE II. A branch of the Common European Oak, with leaves and acorns of ike natural size. * [For a highly-interesting account of this tree and the ensuing one, Q. pedun- culata, see Loudon's Arboretum Britannicum, vol. iii. p. 1740.] EUROPEAN WHITE OAK. V ■ i QuERCUS I'KDUNCL'i.ATA. Q. foliis fnihsf.'^.^l/i'hxs, rjhibris, sh}}iafis ; fruc- iihas oblov(/is, pi(hineuhitis. The European White Oak grows of choice in rich bottoms, where the soil is deep and moderately humid. It reaches the height of ninety or one hundred feet, and has a large, ■well-pro- portioned truidc, which is ol'ten undivided for a considerable distance, and which spreads into a large, commanding summit. The bark ujjon the body is very thick, and, on old trees, deeply furrowed ; upon the limbs and the young stocks it is grayish, smooth, and glossy. The leaves are of a light green on the upi)er surface, whitish beneath, widened toward the summit, deeply sinuated with blunted points, and supported by short petioles like those of the American White Oak. They are more or l(>ss divided according to the age of the tree and to the moisture of the soil. A part of the dry discolored foliage persists through the winter and falls the ensuing spring. Besides the difl'erenco of the foliage, this species is constantly distinguished I'rom the preceding by its IVuit, which is sup- ported singly or in pairs by slender peduncles, two, three, or even four inches long. The acorns are of an oval shape, iwrnx nine to eighteen lines in length, according to the age and vigor of the tree, and contained in shallow cu[>s; they fall about a fortnight before those of the (,'onunou Oak. The w«)od of the European White Oak is of the same color with that of the American species, the sap being while and the heart ri'ddish ; but th»' texture is closer and tiie pores fuUer, whicn is probably the reason of its being less ehistic, but stronger and more durable. It is generally preferred to the Common Oak. as it furnishes larger timbers, splits more regu- ails; fruc- bottoms, iiclios the Avc'll-pro- isidorable ; summit. 3S, deeply i grajif^h, n on the .summit, by short are more id to the 'd foliage D' on.stantly li is sup- , threi', or ape, from and vigor .1 about a ime cojor e aud the res fuller, ustic, but •d to the lore regu- I ir ii m )i m I Hi ^'"j" ;*;■ F if'" ■ h" I MOSSY-CUP OAK. 83 larly, and is more easily Avrought; hence it is highly esteemed for the construction of houses and ships, and extensively em- ployed by the joiner, the wheelwright, and the cooper. Throughout Europe, except in the north of Russia, the bark of the Common Oak and the White Oak is almost exclusively used in tanning. That Avhich is taken from the branches and from small stocks is preferred, because the epidermis is thinner, and the cellular tissue, which contains the tannin, more abundant. Oak wood is more generally used in Europe than in the United States, where the different species of Ash, Birch, etc. in some measure supply its place. The European White Oak would be a valuable addition to the American forests, and I have sent out acorns to begin the formation of nurseries. PLATE 11. A branch of t/ie EarojKan While Oak, wiih Icaccs and acorns of the natural size. MOSSY- CUP OAK. QuERCus OLiViEFOUMis. Q. foliis oblonrjis, (jlahris, subtas glaucis, pro. funde ina:qmlitcrqm sbmato-lobatis ; fructu ovato ; cupidd profimdius cratcratd, supcrne crinild; glande oUmfornii. I iLWE observed this species of Oak only in the State of Now York, on the banks of the Hudson above Albany and in Gene- see, where it is so rare that it has hitherto received no specific name. Its leaves are of a light green above and whitish beneath : they resemble those of the White Oak in color, but difler from Vor,. \.~i\ MOSSY- CUP OAK. them in form, being larger, and very deeply and irregnlarly laciniatcd, with rounded lobes so various in shape that it is impossible to lind two leaves that are alike. The acorns are of an elongated oval foi'm, and are enclced in cups of nearly the same configuration, of which the scales are prominent and re- curved, except near the edge, where they terminate in slender, ilexible filaments. From this peculiarity I- have derived the name of MusNy-cup Oak. This tree is sixty or seventy feet in height, with a spacious sunnnit and an imposing aspect. The bark is white and lami- nated; but the tree is chiefly remarkable for the form and dis- position of its secondary branches, which are slender, flexible, and always inclined toward the earth. This peculiarity alone would render it a valuable acquisition for parks and gardens. As I have met with this species only in uninhabited places, I have had little opportunity of examining its wood : as far as I can judge, it is not better than that of the White Oak, though far superior to that of the Red Oak. [Pursh found this Oak on iron-ore hills in Pennsylvania and Virginia, and adds that in general appearance it resembles Q macrocttipa.'] PLATE III. Leaves of the natural size. Fig. 1. An acoDi with the cup. Fig. 2. An acorn without the cup. [See Nuttall's Supplement, vol. i. p. 24.] irregularly that it is 1 orns are of nearly the ent and re- in slender, derived the 1 a spacious e and lami- ■ rin and dis- ier, flexible, liarity alone gardens. ted places, I : as far as I Oak, though ^ylvania and it resembles cup. Fig. 2. //.„.„./■ ()v(M- ('u|>\Miilr Oak. '^r^^^f^^f^SftflOt", ■^'*'«**.-: ..-^.. /'/■ +. ► } //., /■ Ijp*" I ! ! li r I OYER-CUP WHITE OAK. QiiERCUS MACROCAKPA. Q. foliis subtomciitosis profundc hjratimqne sinuato- lobatis, obUisis; fruclu mnximo; ciqyuM profundiits eratcratd, superne cnnitCi; glande turgidc-otatd. This interesting species is most multiplied beyond the Alle- ghanies, in the fertile districts of Kentucky and West Tennessee, and in Upper Louisiana near the Missouri.''' It is called by the Americans Bur Oak and Over-cup White Oak, and, by the French of lUinois, Chene d, g. os gland. It is a beautiful tree, more than sixty feet in height, laden with dark, tufted foliage. The leaves are larger than those of any other Oak in the United States, being frequently fifteen inches long and eight broad : they are notched near the summit, and deeply laciniated below. The acorns, which are also larger than those of any other American species, are oval, and enclosed for two-thirds of their length in a thick, rugged cup, bordered with fine flexible filaments. Sometimes, however, in compact forests or in very temperate seasons, the filaments do not appear, and the edge of the cup is smooth and bent inward. The fructification of this tree is not abundant, and, as its wood is inferior to that of the White Oak, it is little esteemed in the United States. I have observed, as well as my father, who first made the remark, that the young branches are frequently covered with a yellowish fungous substance, like those of the Elm and Sweet Gum. m [A specimen of this tree standing about three miles from Troy, Ohio, has been measured; its dimensions are as follows: — the [According to Pursh, ou dry slate or limestone hills.] 35 "« ^ POST OAK. diameter at one foot above the ground, seventeen feet; at six feet above the ground, fourteen feet nine inches. The trunk rises about fifty feet without limbs, and with scarcely a percep- tible diminution in size. The top branches rise one hundred feet above the earth. As a tree for ornamental planting, the Over-ciqi Oak is attract- ing much attention; its introduction is the beginning of a taste for the finest trees of our own land. The macrocarpa is surely one of these, both from its fine growth, large leaves and fruit, and its magnificence. This Oak is remarkable when young for the corl-y appearance of its bark, in which it differs from other Oaks and resembles the Cork-bark Elm.] PLATE IV. A leaf of half the natural size. Fig, 1. An Acorn in the cup, of the natural size. POST OAK. QuERCUS OBTUsiLOBA. Q. foliis sinuatis, siibtus pnhcscentihus, lobis oh- insis, superioribus dilatatis, bilobis; fructu nicdiocri; (jlande brevi- ovntd. Quercus stellnta, Willd, Sp. PI In New Jersey, near the sea, and in the vicinity of Philadel- phia, this species is thinly disseminated in the forests, and has hitherto been considei'cd as a variety of the White Oak. In Maryland and a great part of Virginia, where it a1)ounds, and where its properties are better understood, it is called Box White Oak, and sometimes Iron Oak and Post Oak. The last denomination only is used in the Carolinas, Georgia, and East Tennessee. et; at six Dhe trunk ' a percep- e hundred ; is attract- ; of a taste u is surely and fruit, I young for from other }e cup, oj ihis, (obis ob- gJmide brevi- ILLD, Sp. PI of Phihadel- >sts, and has te Oak. In ibounds, and called Box k. The last ^ia, and East TTfRP i JAVi '/i..7,.„ ^'^XS- I'osI Oak ityA//»/i'.'' I ! ^ I ' liii POST OAK. 37 ■ « Tlie steep banks of the Hudson, nearly opposite to the city of New York, are the most northern point at which I have observed it. Even here its existence seems to be secured only by the influence of the sea-air, which tempers to a certain degree the severity of the winter. A little fiirther inland it is not found in the forests. In the vicinity of South Amboy, thirty miles nearer the sea, where the soil is dry and sandy, it is more nmltiplied ; and it becomes still more vigorous and more common in advancing toward the South. Westward, in Penn- sylvania, I saw the last individual of this species a little beyond Carlisle, on the road to Pittsburg, 150 miles from Philadelphia. Near Baltimore, at the distance of 210 miles from New York, it abounds in the woods and attains its utmost expansicm. In Kentucky and Tennessee it is rare, except on the edges of the sw; ps enclosed in the forests, about which it is nuiltiplied, +V' I iot fully developed. It probably exists in Lower Loui- siana; for we met with it in East Florida, of which the climate is the same. But it is nowhere more abundant than in Maryland and in Virginia, between the Alleghanies and the sea. Wherever the soil is dry, gravelly, and unsubstantial, it forms a considerable proportion of the forests, which are composed principally of the Black, Scarlet, S[)anish, and Black Jack Oaks, the Dogwood and file Yellow Pine. These woods exhibit a squalid appearance, occasioned not only by the sterility of the soil, but by the injury they iirc constantly sustaining from the cattle which range through them at all seasons, and which in winter are compelled, by the wjuit of herbage, to subsist upon the young sprouts and the shoots of the preceding year. The upper part of the two Carolinas iind Georgia, partic\ilarly where the Pine and Oak forests unite, is analogous in soil to that portion of Virginia of which we have been sjieaking. and alxmnds in the Post Oak; but nearer the sea the barr(>n wastes are covered with tlie Long- leaved Pine, and the Oak i^ seen only in the lowest parts of the ip or' POST OAK. i !■! liljji If If : .J swamps, about tlie j)lantations, and on tracts that have been exhausted lij cultivation and abandoned. The leaves are borne by short petioles, and are of a dusky green above and grayish beneath. They are four or five inches in length, thick, and even coriaceous towax'd the end of summer, deeply and regularly sinuated, and are divided into four or five rounded lobes, of which the two nearest the summit are the broadest. Toward the fall the ribs ai'e of a rosy tint, instead of a purplish red, like those of the Scarlet Oak. The fructifica- tion seldom fails. The acorns are small, oval, and covered for a third of their length with a slightly-rugged grayish cup. They are very sweet, and form a delicious food for squirrels and wild turkeys; hence the tree is sometimes called Tuikey Oak. The height of this species rarely exceeds forty or fifty feet, with a diameter of fifteen inches. Its summit, even when com- pressed in the forests, is disproportionately large, owing probably to the early division of the trunk into several limbs, with which the secondary l)ranches form more open angles than is common on other trees. The branch.es also are bent into elbows at cer- tain distances, which gives so peculiar an appearance to the tree that it is easily distiuguished when the leaves are fallen. The bark upon the trunk is thin and of a grayish white. The wood is yellowish, witli no tinge of red. Growing upon a less humid soil, it is less elastic, but finer-grained, stronger, and more dura- ble, than the White Oak ; hence it is preferred for posts, and is used with advantage by wheelwrights and coopers. In ship-building it is used principally for the knees, and is admitted into the lower part of the frame. It rarely furnishes side-planks or timber of considerable leugth: ibr this reason it is less esteemed than the White Oak, and it is. ])esides. less common, except in Maryland and certain parts of Virginia. The preference given in the West Indies to the staves IVom Haltimore and Norfolk is due in a great measure to their being made of the Post Oak. lave been f a dusky live inches f summer, )ur or five it are the nt, instead i fructifica- s'ered for a up. They s and wild )ak. r fifty feet, when com- ig probably with which is common lows at cer- to the tree lUen. The The wood less humid more dura- losts, and is nees, and is ly furnishes lis reason it iK'sides. less 'irginla. staves from llieir being 1 /'.//•,,-!•„.; ./. ()\(l ( "up ( )ill\ (hit /in,' /1//1//1/ /'/ 1> .#^*-~' HI 1(1 .1 li ! C OVER-CUP OAK. 89 This tree, though only of secondary sue, should be propagated in America and introduced into the forests of Europe. [Emerson mentions this tree as growing on Martha's Vineyard, much beyond the northern limit assigned to it by Michaux. Elliot says, " Its timber is sujiposed, in strength and durability, to sui'pass that of any other species of the Oak ; and therefore it is highly prized when it can be obtained sufficiently large to be used in the construction of vessels." Staves of it are greatly esteemed: its timber is sometimes confounded with the White Oak, which it greatly resembles.] PLATE V. A branch ivith leaves and fruit of the natural size. [See Nuttall's Supplement, vol. i. p. 23.] OYER-CUP OAK. QuERCus LYRATA. Q. foliis suhscssHibus, glabvis, bjrato-sinuosis, sum- mitatc dilaiatd, dimricato-trilobd, lobis acutanfjulis, terminali Iricuspide; cupula dcprcsso-fflobosd, niuricato-scabrald ; ylande subtectd. In the United States I have met with this interesting species only in the lower part of the Carolinas and of Georgia. It pro- bably exists on the banks of the Mississippi in Lower Louisiana; and I have observed it on the St. John, in East Florida, in situations analogous to those in which it flourishes a little farther north. In Georgia and Carolina it is not extensively multiplied, and has been distinguished only by the inhabitants of the places where it grows. It is called Swamp Post Oak, Il ■ I HI rv i'li Ni 40 OVER-CUP OAK. Over-cup Oak, and Water White Oak. The first of these de- nomiiiatit)ns indicates an analogy between its foliage and tluit of the Post Oak, and the second a remarkable peculiarity of its fruit, of which the acorn is covered by the cup. The name of Over-cup Oak is the most common in South Carolina, and that of Swamp Post Oak on the Savannah in Georgia. The Over-cup Oak grows in more humid situations than any other species of this genus in the United States. It is never seen in the long narrow marshes which intersect the pine-bar- rens, but is found exclusively in the great swamps on the borders of the rivers, which are often overflowed at the rising of the waters and are inaccessible during three-quarters of the year. In these gloomy forests it is united with the Large Tupelo, White Elm, Wahoo, Planer Tree, Carolinian Poplar, Water Bitternut Hickory, and Water Locust. It expands to a majestic si'/e, and the influence of a deep and constantly -humid soil is shown in the luxuriancy of its vegeta- tion. On the banks of the Savannah I have seen stocks which were more than eighty feet high and from eight to twelve feet in circumference. The leaves are six or eight inches long, smooth, narrow, lyre-shaped, deeply sinuated, and borne by short petioles. The lobes, particularly the two upper ones, are truncated, and from their resemblance in this respect to those of the Post Oak is derived the name of Swamp Post Oak. The foliage is thick and of a light, agreeable tint. The acorns, un- like those of the Oaks in general, which arc of an elongated oval shape, are broad, round, and depressed at the summit : they are sometimes from twelve to eighteen lines in diameter from side to side, and from six to ten lines from the base to the summit. The cup, which is nearly closed, is thin, and its scales are terminated by short, firm points. The bai'k upon the trunk is white, and the wood, though in- ferior to that of the White Oak and the Post Oak, is more com pact than would be supposed from the soil in which it grows; f these de- and that of arity of its le name of a, and that IS than any It is never lie pine-bar- the borders ising of the )f the year, rge Tupelo, plar, Water r a deep and )f its vegeta- •stocks which > twelve feet inches long, id borne by per ones, are ct to those of it Oak. The e acorns, un- an elongated the summit : ? in diameter le base to the and its scales id, though in- , is more com lich it grows; ' ! ' ' n II: ' n I I !i' I Av.'.i .C./ wSwamj) \\ Iiilo Oak /'/ . J*-*^*'" I SWAMP WHITE OAK. 41 the pores are observable only between the concentrical circles, and are more regularly disposed than in other trees. This species is the largest and the most highly esteemed among the Oaks that grow in wet grounds. Its propagation should be attempted in the forests of Europe, where no doubt can be en- tertained of its success. The acorns which I sent to France several years since, though sown upon uplands, have produced flourishing plants, which bear the winter of Paris without injury. PLATE VI. A branch with Icacts and fruit 0/ the. statural size. SWAMP WHITE OAK. Qlkiici's riUNUs discoloh. Q. foliis uliluniju-obovatis .■n.i.dt.s al(iu-t< ntrn- tosis, i/rosse dintatis, ha.si iidcijerrimls^ dtnlibus inaqnnlibiis dihitali-i ; fruciihus lonr/i pcdunctdalis, Qucrcus bicolor. Wili.d. This species is known in the United States only by the name of Swamp White Oak, which indicates at once the soil which it prefers and its analogy to the White Oak. 1 first observed it near Portsmouth in New Hampshire; but it is less multiplied in this hititude than in the Middle and Western States. It particularly attracted my attention in New Jersey near the city of New York, on the Delaware in Penn- sylvania, on the Susquehanna in Virginia, and beyond the mountains on tlii' Ohio in Kentucky, and on the llolston, near Kiioxville, in East Tennessee; 1 have also seen it on the shores of Luke Champlain and Lake Ontario. Except the district of il m 42 SWAMP WHITE OAK. Maine and the maritime parts of the f^outheiui section, it is diffused throughout the United States : in comparison, however, with several other species, it is not common, being found only on the edges of swami)s and in wet phices exposed to inunda- tions, and not in the forests at Large, like the White Oak, the Black Oak, &c. In New Jersey it is associated with the Pin Oak, the Red-flowei'ing Maple, the White Ash, the Tupelo, and the Shellbark Hickory. On the shores of Lake Champlain, which occasionally offer similar situations, particularly at a little distance from Skeensljorough, it is mingled with the White Maples, Avhioh occupy the next line to the Willows in retiring from the shore. The Swamp White Oak is a beautiful tree, more than seventy feet in lieight, of which the vegetation is vigorous and the foliage luxuriant. The leaves are six or eight inches long and four inches broad, smooth and of a slightly-dark green above, downy and light-colored beneath; they are entire toward the base, which is cuneifoi'm, but are widened and coarsely-toothed for two-thirds of their length toward the summit. The tree is distinguished when young by the form of its base and by the down upon its leaves, which is more sensible to the touch than on any analogous species. At n riper age the lower side of the leaf is of a silvery white, Avhich is strikingly contrasted with the bright green of the u[)[)(M' surface; hence, the specific nauie of dhvolor was given it b}' Dr. Muhlenberg. The iicorns nre s\ve<'t, but seldoui abundant; they are rather large, of a brown ((tiuplexion. and contained in a spreading cuj) edged with snort, slender filaments, more downy within than those of any other Onk. and siipi)orted by peduncles one or two inches in length. The trunk is clad in a scaly grayish-white bark. The wood IH strong, elastic, and heavier than that of the White Oak. in stocks more than ii foot in diiinieter the grain is fine and ('U)se and the port's iire nenrly (tl>liternti(l. it splits easily and in a M SWAMP WHITE OAK. 43 tiou, it is , however, ound only to iuiuula- 2 Oak, the li the Pin upelo, and 'hamplain, larly at a the White in retiring an seventy IS and the s long and een above, toward the ely-toothed The tree is and by the toueh than side of the ,'d with the lie name of straight line, and is esteemed next in quality to the While Oak, though from its rareness it is but accidentally employed in the arts. If, as I incline to believe, the Swamp White Oak is found by more accurate experiments to be superior to the White Oak, it must be considered as a very valuable tree, and its increase should be favored at the expense of the Red-flowering Maple, the Bitternut Hickory, the Hornbeam, and other species which grow in the same exposures. It seems also to deserve a place in the forests of Europe, where, in moist grounds, it might be blended or alternated with the Ashes, the Alders, and the Poplars. [This tree occasionally attains a large size. One is mentioned growing in a wet. clayey soil, measuring twelve feet and one inch in circumference at four feet from the ground. The wood is of a biownish color, heavy, coupact, and fine-grained, and is preferred by some for boat-building to the White Oak.] PLAT^i) VII. A branch with leaves ami fnnt of (he natural size. [See Nuttall's Supplement, vol. i. p. 28.] Y are rather reading cup vithin than < one or two The wood Ic Oak. In le and dose lily and in a ^1 Hi l\ CHESTNUT WHITE OAK. QuEiicus PKiNis PALUST1U8. Q. foliis obloiigo-ovalibtis, acuminatis acu- iisve, subunifonuitcr dcntatis; cupula cratcratd, subsqucanom ; glande ovatd. Quercus prinus. Willu. The Chestnut White Oak is first seen within ten miles of Phihidelphia; but it is less multiplied and less amply developed than farther south. It is most abundant in the maritime parts of the Carolinas, Georgia, and East Florida, and is probably found on the banks of the Mississippi, which are analogous to those of many rivers of the Southern States. In Pennsylvania this species is confounded with the Rock Chestnut Oak, which it strikingly resembles; farther south, where the Kock Chestnut Oak is unknown, it is called Chestnut White Oak, Swamp Chestnut Oak, and generally, on the Sa- vannah, White Oak. The Chestnut White Oak is adorned with beautiful foliage; the leaves are eight or nine inches long, four or five inches broad, obovate, deeply toothed, of a light shining green above and whitish beneath. The acorns are brown, oval, larger than those of any other species except the Over-cup White Oak, and contained in shal- low scaly cups. Being sweet-lhivored, and sometimes abundant, they are sought with avidity by wild and domestic animals, such as deer, cows, horses, and swine. The Chestnut White Oak, like the Over-cup Oak. grows only in the large swamps thnt border the rivers or are enclosed in the forests; but it alwnys chooses spots that are rarely inun- dated, where the soil is loose, deep, constantly cool, and luxu- riitiitly fertile. In the Carolinas and Georgia it is usually accompanied by 44 m m minaiis acU' osd; gUmde . WiLLU. 1 miles of developed [time parts s probably nalogous to L the Rock ther south, id Chestnut on the Sa- iful foliage; live inches ^reen above if any other ned in shal- es abundant, tic animals, . grows only 5 enclosed in rarely inun- )1, and luxu- ompanied by M 1 I :i r Clu'smil \\hil<> ().\k. ■i! Vi :■■ » CHESTNUT WHITE OAK. 45 the White Elm, the Wahoo, the Big Laurel, the UmbreUa Tree, the Sweet Leaves, the Beach, the Poplar, the Bitternut Hick- ory, and the Devil "Wood. In this latitude it attains its utmost development, which is eighty or ninety feet in stature, with a proportional diameter. Its .^traight trunk, undivided and of a uniform size to the height of fifty leet, and its expansive tufted summit, form one of the most beautiful and majestic trees of the North American forests. Its wood, which is affected by the richness of the soil, is in- ferior to that of the Post Oak, the White Oak, and even the Over-cup Oak; and its pores, though nearly obliterated, are more open. But it is superior to many other species, and is employed for wheelwrights' work and other objects which require strength and durability. As it splits in a straight line and may be divided into fine shreds, it is chosen by the negroes for baskets and brooms. Its pores are too open to contain wine or spirituous liquors. In the form of rails it lasts twelve or fifteen years, or a third longer than the Willow Oak. At Augusta in Georgia it is considered as the best fuel, and is sold at two or three dollars a cord. The Chestnut White Oak endures the \vjiiter '^f Paris, but its vegetation would be quicker in the more southern departments. It is to be regretted that a tree which seems formed to be one of the finest ornaments of our forests should have nothing to recommend it but its beauty. Other properties it possesses only in a secondary degree, and in Europe it will probably be con- fined to the pleasure-grounds of amateurs. PLATE VIII. A branch with leaves and fruit of the natural size. ill ' '']' M ROCK CHESTNUT OAK. (iuKRCUS PRixus jroNTicoLA. Q. folHs obovcitis acu/is gross^ dmtalis, daidbus suha'qualibus ; f rutin majusculo, cupuld iurbinatd, scabroid; glande oblovgd. Quorcus niontana. WiiiLit. Tins Oak is among the sijccies which are not scattered pro- miscuously in the forests, but which grow only in particular situations and easily escape observation; hence, it is difficult to assign its limits with precision. It proljably does not extend northward far beyond Vermont nor eastward beyond New Iliunpshire. I have never seen it in the district of Maine nor in Nova Scotia, and it is not mentioned in my father's botanical notes upon Lower Canada; it is likewise a stranger to the mari- time parts of the Southern States. It is most frequently met with in the middle and in some parts of the northern sections, but is rarely mingled with other trees in the forests, and is found only on high grounds thickly strewn with stones or covered Avith rocks. Thus, it is often seen on the steep and rocky banks of the Hudson and on the shores of Lake Cham- plain, and still more frequently on the Alleghanies in Pennsyl- vania and Virginia. It forms nine-tenths of the growth on some parts of these mountains, but the soil is so meagre that it is thinly disseminated and does not exceed twenty or twenty- five feet in height .and eight or ten inches in diameter. I made this observation particularly on the Dry Ridges, fifteen miles from Bedford. In that part of Pennsylvania, as well as in Maryland and Virginia, it is known by the name of Chestnut Oak, and by that of Rock Oak on the banks of the Hudson and the shores of Lake Chinni)lain to the distance of 400 miles from New York. Both are significnnt: the first, of a remarkable resemblance of 46 *??*%i •oss^ dcntatis, ltd, scabroid; la. "VViM.li. attered pro- n particular is difficuU. to not extend )eyond New )f Maine nor 3r's botanical • to the niari- equently met lern sections, •rests, and is th stones or lie steep and Lake Cham- 's in Pennsyl- le growth on leagre that it ty or twenty- eter. I made fifteen miles Maryland and k, and by that the shores of im New York, 'esemblance of 1 mi ill Mi I • ' m I Ay^fM «if' llock (Micsiuil Oak (htc/rthf /*."" iiionlico/ii i' i :l i: ! ( 1< ROCK x' II E S T N U T OAK. 47 I ho biirk to that of the Chestnut; and the second, of the situa- tions in which the tree is exchisivoly found. For this reason, and to avoid confounding it witli tlie preceding and following species, wliich also grow in Virginia. I have blended the two denominations. The beautiful appeai'ance of this tree when growing in a fertile soil is owing equally to the symmetry of its foi'm and to the luxuriance of its ft)liage. The leaves are five or six inches long, three or four broad, oval and uniformly denticulated, with the teeth more regular but less acute than those of the Chestnut White Oak. When l)eginning to open in the spring they are covered with a thick down; but when fully expanded they are perfectly smooth, whitish beneath, and of a delicate texture. The petiole is of a, jellow color, which becomes brighter toward the fall. The acorns are brown, of an oblong-oval shape, and sometimes an inch in length, a third part of which is contained in a spread- ing cup covered with loose scales; they are sweet-tasted, and are a favorite nourishment of wild and domestic aninuds. The Rock Chestnut Oak is sometimes three feet in diameter and more than sixty feet high; but, as its growth is usually repressed by the poverty of tlu soil, it rarely attains these dimensions. In open, elevated situations it sjjreads widely nnha:ricd. Quercus castanca. Willd. The banks of the Uclawavo may be assumed as the northern limit of the Yellow Oak. It scarcely exists in the maritime parts of the Southern States, where I have seen only a few stocks near Two Sisters' Ferry on the Savannah in Georgia, and a sinti'le one on the Cape Fear, a mile from Fayetteville, in North Carolina. In the Middle and Western States, though more ct)mmon, it is still rare in comparison with many other trees, and is sometimes lost sight of by the traveller for several days in succession. I have most particularly observed it on the small river Conestoga near Lancaster in Pennsylvania, on the Monon- gahela a little nbove Pittsburg, and in several small tracts near til'-' Ilolston and Nolachuky in East Tennessee. In the Mono- gvaphy of American Oaks, my father takes notice of its exist- ence in the country of the Illinois. Near Lancaster this tree is called Yellow Oak, from the com- plexion of its wood; but in other parts of the United States it is confounded with the Chestnut White Oak and Kock Chestnut Oak, to Avhich it bears some resemblance in its folisige. The leaves are lanceolate, acuminate, regularly toothed, t)f a light green above and whitish beneath. The small Mcorns are contained in slightly-scaly cups, and are sweeter than those of any otlicr species in the United States. The Yellow Oak is a fine tree, seventy or eighty feet high and two feet in dianu'tev, with branches tending rather to close round the trunk than to diJ'use themselves horizontally. I in- Viiriably found it in valleys where the soil was loose, deep, and fertile. The bark upon the truid< is whitish, very slightly iur- 1'... T 4 . - . Vol.. I— 4 l!> f* I 'I <■ i: 1 1 1, ! i:ii j'll II 1 > ; i' ti I 111 50 SMALL CHESTNUT OAK. rowed, and sometimes divided into plates, like that of tht» Swamp White Oak. The wood is yellowish, though the tint is not bright enough to fit it for peculiar uses. Its pores are partly obliterated, irregularly disposed, and more numerous than those of any other American Oak : this organization must impair its strength and render it less durable than the Chestnut White Oak and the Rock Chestnut Oak. As this tree is so thinly disseminated, it will not appear sur- prising that I should not have witnessed the application of its wood in the arts, or have found occasions of accurately appre- ciating its qualities. Its agreeable form and beautiful foliage render it proper for the embellishment of picturesque gardens. PLATE X. A branch irilli leaves and fruit of the natural size. SMALL CHESTNUT OAK. QuERCUS PRiNUS ciiiNCAPiN. Q. foliis obovatis, grosse dcntatis, siibth (jlaucis; cupulCi hemisplucrica ; glandc ovattl. Qucrcus prinoides. WiIjLIi, In the Northern and Middle States this pretty little species is called Snudl or Dwarf Chestnut Oak, from the resemblance of its leaves to those of the Eock Chestnut Oak ; as there is also a likeness between its foliage and that of tlie Chincapin, it is known in East Tennessee and in the upper part of the Caroliniis by the name of the Chincapin Oak. The Small Chestnut Oak is not generally diffused, but is rare in many places adapted to its' constitution, and is usually foinid « hat of tliw the tint is !S are partly than those b impair its itnut White appear sur- cation of it;^ cately appre- itifiil foliage que gardens. ze. K. : dcrdatis, siihtus a. oides. WlT.LH. little species is resemblance of IS there is also [^hincapin, it is >f the CarolinuH I-.? ised, but is ran) iH usually fouiul A n ' i ■» , ■ ■•! ; > i\\ 1 i; ! //// Maa^m t/' Small riiosinil Oak (J/ftT- P!'"' r////.\\//>/n . ,18. <^, •V*. W" '^'»J^.J^ IMAGE EVALUATION TEST TARGET (MT-3) :/. «> 1.0 I.I ■^ iiii |22 IS 1^ 1 2£ 1-25 III 1.4 1^ 9% /^ '^ .■* '/ fliotograiJiic Sciences Corporation 33 WIST MAIN STRUT WmSTM.N.Y. I4SM (71*)I73-4S03 ^ II : I !.1 I '; if I ■Hi i;i m SMALL CHESTNUT OAK. 61 in particular districts, where, alone or mingled with the Bear Oak, it sometimes covers tracts of more than 100 acres. The presence of these species is a certain proof of the barrenness of the soil. I have particularly observed the Small Chestnut Oak in the vicinity of Providence in Rhode Island, of Albany in New York, of Knoxville in Tennessee, and on the Alleghany Mountains in Virginia. It grows spontaneously in the park of Mr. W. Hamilton, near Philadelphia. This species, and another which is found in the Pine forests of the Southern States, rarely exceed thirty inches in height: they are the most diminutive of the American Oaks, and are mentioned only to complete the series. The leaves of the Small Chestnut Oak are oval-acuminate, regularly but not deeply denticulated, of a light green above and whitish beneath. The acorns are enclosed for one-third of their length in scaly sessile cups; they are of middle size, some- what elongated, similarly rounded at both ends, and very sweet. Nature seems to have sought a compensation for the diminu- tive size of this shrub in the abundance of its fruit: the stem, which is sometimes no bigger than a quill, is stretched at full length upon the ground by the weight of the thickly-clustering acorns. United witli the Bear Oak, which is of the same size and equally prolific, perhaps it might be cultivated with advan- tage for its fruit. PLATE XI. A branch with Icurcs and fruit of the. natural size. [See Nuttall's Supplement, vol. i. p. 33.] i! '' III II ' I ' i' i n '^'flr 'I I' I : I'J 1 il !i! I 1 I ■']'■' >u il III LIVE OAK. QuERCus viRENS. Q. folUs pcmmantHitis, coriareis, ovato-oblongis,junio- ribus dcntatis, vetusHoriljus inkgris; ctq)td(l tarhinatd, squamulis abbre- viatis; glandc oblovgd. Tins species, which is confined to the maritime parts of the Southern States, the Floridas, and Louisiana, is known only by the name of Live Oak. The climate becomes mild enough for its growth near Norfolk in Virginia, though it is less multiplied and less vigorous than in a more southern latitude. From Norfolk it spreads along the coast for a distance of 1500 or 1800 miles, extending beyond the mouth of the Mississippi. The sea-air seems essential to its existence, for it is rarely found in the forests upon the mainland, and never more than fifteen or twenty miles from the shore. It is the most abundant, the most fully-developed, and of the best quality, about the bays and creeks and on the fertile islands which in great numbers lie scattered for several hundred miles along the coast. I particularly observed it on the islands of St. Sim(m, Cumberland, Sapelo, etc., between the St. John and the St. Mary, in an excursion of 400 or 500 miles in a canoe from Cape Canaveral in Kast Florida to Savannah in Georgia. 1 frequently saw it upon the beach, or half buried in the moval)le sands upon the downs, where it had preserved its freshness iind vigor, though exposed during a long lapse of time to the fury of the wintry tempest and to the ardor of the summer's sun. The Live Oak is connnonly forty or forty-five i'eet in height and from one to iwo feet in diameter; but it is sometimes much larger. Mr. S., President of the Agricultural Society of Charles- ton, assured iw that he had felled a trunk, hollowed by age, which was twenty-four feet in circumference. Like iut)st other trees, it has, when insulated, m wide and lulled Munmit. lis Mongis, junio- lamulis abbre- parts of the own only by I enough for 33 multiplied tude. From 1500 or 1800 issippi. The rely found in lan fifteen or ;d, and of the fertile islands lundrcd miles islands of St. John and the a canoe from II Georgia. 1 n the movable I freshness and to the fury of ler's sun. feet in height mu'times nuK-li iety of C'liarles- )1 lowed by age, iike most other il summit. It^ imir i '■ I' f il ilu I--! >:ii. i ' ! ' I "IW 'I':! 1 1 LIVE OAK. 68 trunk is sometimes undivided for eighteen or twenty feet, but often ramifies at half this heiglit, and at a distance lias the ap- pearance of an old Apple-tree or Pear-tree. The leaves are oval, coriaceous, of a dark green above and whitish beneath; they persist during several years, and are partially renewed every spring. On trees reared upon plantations, or growing in cool soils, they are one-half larger, and are often denticulated ; upon stocks of two or three years they are commonly very dis- tinctly toothed. The acorns are of an elongated oval form, nearly black, and contained in shallow, grayish, pedunculated cups. The Indians are said to have expressed an oil from them to mingle with their food ; perhaps, also, they ate the kernel, which, though not agreeable to the taste, is less rough and bitter than that of many other species. The fruit is sometimes very abundant, and it germinates with such ease that, if the weather is rainy at the season of its maturity, many acorns are found upon the trees with the radicle unfolded. The bark upon the trunk is blackish, hard, and thick. The wood is heavy, compact, fine-grained, and of a yellowish color, which deepens as the tree advances in age. The number and closeness of the concentrical circles evince the slowness of its growth. As it is very strong, and incomparably :; ii-iv durable than the best White Oak, it is highly esteemed in sh;; building, and is consumed not only in the country which produces it but still more extensively in the Northern States. From its groat durability when perfectly seasoned it is almost exclusively employed for the upper part of the frame. To compensate its excessive weight it is joined with the Red Cedar, which is ex- tremely light and equally lasting. The Live Oak does not afford large timber ; but its wide and branching summit makes amends for this disadvantage by fur- nishing a great number of knees, of which there is never a suf- ficient quantity in the dock-vards. il ]l I'! I li ii Tl HI i: li iilii; i|' 54 LIVE OAK. The vessels built at New York and Philadelphia, with the upper frame of Red Cedar and Live Oak and the lower timbers of White Oak, are as durable as those constructed of tk? best materials in Europe. Brekel, whom I have already quoted, says that the best tree-nails are of Live Oak ; but at present it is replaced, in the Southern States, by the Locust and the heart of the long-leaved Pine. In the South, particularly at Charleston and Savannah, this species is used for the naves and felloes of heavy wheels, for which it is far ^superior to the White Oak; it is more proper, also, for screws and for the cogs of mill-wheels. The bark is excellent for tanning, but is only accidentally employed. Besides the Live Oak timber exported to England, great quantities are used in ship-building in the United States, par- ticularly at Boston, New York, Philadelphia, and Baltimore. The consumption has trebled within twenty years, in conse- quence of the immense development of American commerce. Hence the price has doubled, and the species is rapidly diminish- ing. The clearing of the islands for the culture of cotton, which they yield of a superior quality, has contributed greatly to its destruction. It is already difficult to procure sticks of consider- able size in the Southern States, and they are sought on the western coast of East Florida between the St. Mary and the St. John. From St. Augustine to the Cape the species is rarer; but we are informed that it abounds on the shores of West Florida, whither the English of the Bahama Islands resort for supplies. As the Live Oak, from the peculiarities of its construction, is nmltiplied with difficulty, I cannot but consider its dis- appearance throughout the United States within fifty years sis nearly certain. It will then be found only in the form of a shrub, like the Quercxis ilex, which formerly skirted the southern coast of France and Italy. ia, with the )\ver timbers 1 of th'^ best eady quoted, at present it Liid the heart avannah, this vy wheels, for more pro^Dcr, y accidentally Sngland, great ,ed States, par- ind Baltimore, ears, in conse- can commerce, ipidly diminish- 3f cotton, which d greatly to its icks of consider- } sought on the lary and the St. species is rarer; shores of West slands resort for its construction, consider its dis- hin fifty years us in the form of a irted the southern M •It h 111 III ! i'l l:lM| vii;i /'/, /'/ /,; (!,jhi. :i! b. ! , il 'li ''d corks, and n years. Itt< ' the cellular je for the use y adapts it to •e refuses exit it. For this le through the laverse to the d by inserting care must be never renewed hark is heated 11 it and render cut into pieces lice consists in he from fifteen led at 17,000 or 1 and even each lies long, 'fl"^' usand, of wlii»li making. It i^ -e annually con- n to the United c Kubsi.sts. Tlif :re to sustain it" vegetation; the bed of vegetable mould is in many places too thin, and the sand beneath so homogeneous that the roots of the Pines, instead of shooting downward, fold themselves back, as if repelled by a solid rock. Both public and private interest require the inhabitants of the Soutliern coast, and especially the neighboring islands, to rear the Cork Oak about their plantations and in places that are unfit for the cultivation of cotton. It should also be introduced into West Tennessee, anu with the more reason as the Vine may be cultivated there with success. As the young stocks are injured by transplanting, they should be permanently fixed the second or third year. To favor their growth, the earth should be loosed about the roots two or three times a year; and, to render them tall and well shaped, the lower branches should be cut even with the trunk. Their vegetation is in this manner strengthened and the bark im- proved; without further attention they will continue to afford u valuable product during two or three centuries. Tliis tree has great advantages over several others which would likewise flourish in the same parts of the United States, sueli as the Olive and the White Mulberry. To fit their pro- ducts for consumption, particularly that of the Mulberry, requires complicated processes, which can be performed with advantage only in populous countries. Hence the attempts made seventy or eiglity years ago in Georgia to introduce the rearing of silk- worms proved abortive; and tl»e old White Mulberry-trees that still remain are monuments of that ill-calculated speculation. The bark of the Cork Oak, on the contrary, might be trans- ported to the Northern States, or made into corks upon the spot by a simple oi)eration performed by a single person with imple- ments of which the price does not exceed two or three dollars. [It gives us pleasure to record iiere that the acorn of the Cork Oak ha.s been introduced into the Southern States by Iniporta- !M 58 WILLOW OAK. tions made at the Patent-Office. This first effort should be fol- lowed by others, till we are independent of foreign countries for an article of prime importance.] PLATE XIIL A branch vith leaves and fruit of the natural size. ^ii. ill ;i ii •.iV ! I WILLOW OAK. QuKRcrs PiiELLOS. Q. full is linear i-lanccolatis, integerrimis, ylabris, apiec setaceo-acuminatis,Junioribus dcntatis lobaiisce; fiqndd scatellatd ; glandc subrotundd, minimd. This species, which is remarkable for its foliage, makes its first appearance in the environs of Philadelphia; but it is more common and of a larger size in Virginia, the Carolinas, and Georgia, where the milder temperature of the winter is evi- dently favorable to its growth. It is seen, however, only in the maritime parts of those States, and is a stranger to the inland districts, where the surface is mountainous and the climate more severe. From the analogy of soil and climate, it is proliably found in Lower Louisiana; but I have never observed it beyond the Alleghanies in Kentucky and Teinicssee. The Willow Oak commonly grows in cool moist places, and. with the Tupelo, the Small Magnolia, the Red-flowering Maj)lc. the Red Bay, and the Water Oiik, it borders the swiynps in the lower part of the Southei'n States. In these situations it attains its greatest expansion, which is fifty or si.xty feet in height nnd from twenty to twenty-four inches in diameter. Tlie trunk, even at an advanced age, is covered with a smooth bark, ro- ould be fol- n countries is, glahris, apice mtdlald; rjlcmdc. ige, makes its but it is uioro Caroliuas, and winter is evi- er, only in tlio to the inland (1 the climato climate, it it* never observed iicssee. list places, and, owering Maple ■ swiynps ill tlio aticms it attains >t in height and r. The tnmk, ;iii()()th harl<. re- ■<■ - 1,- V ! . !l m ij i V 1 I : :ii :i II lii:! i ■ I WILLOW OAK. 59 inarkable for the thickness of its celluUir tissue. The leaves are two or three inches long, of a light green, smooth, narrow, entire, and similar to those of the Willow, whence is derived the name of Willow Oak, which is used in every part of North America where the tree is known. Though the Willow Oak, as I have just observed, is almost always seen in moist grounds, by an exception for which it is difficult to account it is sometimes found among the Live Oaks, near the sea, in the dryest and most sandy soils. At a distance it resembles the Live Oak in its shape and in its foliage, w'hich persists during several years; but on a closer examination it is easily distinguished by the form of its leaves, which are shorter and much narrower, and by the porous texture of its wood. \ The fruit of this species is rarely abundant; the acorns are of a dark brown color, small, round, very bitter, and contained in shallow cups lightly coated with scales; kept in a cool place they preserve the faculty of germination for several months. The wood is reddish and coarse-grained. It is too porous to contain wine or spirituous liquor, and its staves are classed with those of Red Oak. The quantity, however, is small, as the tree is so little multiplied that alone it would not supply the consumption for two years. Li some of the lower parts of Vir- ginia, particularly in the county of York, it is found to possess great strength and tenacity and to split less easily than the White Oak; hence, after being thoroughly seasoned, it is em- ployed for the felloes of wheels. These are the only uses to which it seems adapted, and for these it is less proper than the Post Oak and AVhite Ash. On several plantations near Augusta, in Georgia, the fences are made partly of Willow Oak, which lasts only eight or nine years. As fuel, it is sold at the lowest price PLATE XIV. A branch with leaves and fruit of the natural size. [See Nuttall's Supplement, vol. i. p. 20.] '^Il"fff1 lilliiii lit 1i \\\ ■■Ml i; ' 1': !i^i' jiii' i^iii it; LAUREL OAK. QuERCus IMKRICAJUA. Q. folUs siihscssUibus, ofali-oblo)}()is, acutis, inte- fjcrrimis, nitidis ; glande subhcmisphxricd. East of the Alloglianios this species is rare, and has received no specific name ; west of the mountains, where it is more mul- tiplied and has attracted more attention, it is called Jack Oak, Black Jack Oak, and sometimes, from the form of its leaves, Laurel Oak. The last denomination I have preserved as the most appropriate, though perhaps it is less common than the first. I observed this tree for the first time in Pennsylvania, near Bedford, on fho Juniata, upon the road from Philadelphia to Pittsburg; and it does not exist in the more northern States. I found it abundant only beyond the mountains, and particularly near Washington Court-house, and in some parts of Kentucky and Tennessee. From my father's observations, it appears to bo more multiplied in the country of the Illinois than in the places T have just mentioned, and it is called by the French Cheuc a lattes, — Lath Oak. In the western parts of Pennsylvania and Virginia, small lawns, covered only with tall grass, are frequently seen in the forests, around which the Laurel Oak forms entire groves; insu- lated stocks are also found in cool, humid situations. It is pro- bable, from its flourishing in open exposures, that it is most abundant in the country of the Illinois, which consists of im- measurable savannas stretching in every direction, to which the tbrests bear no sensible proportion. The Laurel Oak is fortjwor fifty feet high and twelve or fifteen inches in diameter. Its trunk, even when old, is clad in a smooth bark, and for three-fourths of its height is laden with branches. It has an uncouth form when bared in the winter, GO lis, aciitis, inte- I has received t is more mul- led Jack Oak, of its leaves, !served as the mon than the isylvania, near :'hihadelphia to liern States. I nd particularly ;s of Kentucky it appears to be m in the places French Cheiic a Virginia, small itly seen in the re groves; insu- ions. It is pvo- that it is mo.^ 1 consists of im- on, to which the twelve or fifteen oU, is clad in a ;ht is laden with ed in the winter, Tf i Lnurol (h\k (hull 1 1. '• iiiti>i .\ ,,■, ■ !•'. " i'li li'pil 1; M ! ill !■ i:li: ii UPLAND WILLOW OAK. 61 ■1 I. but is beautiful in the summer when chad in its thick, tufted fohage. The leaves are long, lanceolate, entire, and of a light, shining green. The wood is hard and heavy, though its pores are open. As the trunk is branchy and often crooked, it is considered, wherever I have observed it, as fit only for fuel; but my father, who first described it, says that the French of Illinois use it for shingles. Probably in that region it attains much greater dimen- sions; but in my opinion the want of better species only can account for its use. Its wood is inferior to that of the Willow Oak, which it nearly resembles. This tree has no merit but its singular foliage; and it deserves the attention only of amateurs desirous of adorning their rural retreats with a variety of exotic trees. PLATE XV. A branch with leaces and fruit of the natural size. UPLAND WILLOW OAK. Qu Hcus ciNEREA. (^. J'oliis pctiolutis, (fti) R ! II 04 BARTRAM OAK. [In situations where it is not liable to being burned, as de- scribed above, this plant is very lorolific of acorns; and it has been suggested that it might be cultivated for its fruit. It sometimes covers tracts of more than 100 acres in extent, along with the Bear Oak. It is well worthy of cultivation in small villa gardens or miniature arboretums.] PLATE XVII. A branch with leaves and fruit of the natural size. BARTRAM OAK. Qdercus iieteropiiylla. Q. fuliis lony^ pdlolatis, orato-lanccolatis, intcgris vel ina^qualitcr dcntatis ; glande, suhglohosd. Every botanist who has visited different regions of the globe must have remarked certain species of vegetables which are so little multiplied that they seem likely at no distant period to disappear from the earth. To this class belongs the Bartram Oak. Several English and American naturalists who, like my father and myself, have spent years in exploring the United States, and who have obligingly communicated to us the result of their observations, have, like us, found no traces of this species except a single stock in a field belonging to Mr. Bartram, on the banks of the Schuylkill, four miles from Philadelphia. This is a nourishing tree, thirty feet in height and eight inches in diameter, and seems formed to attain a much greater develop- mc'it. Its leaves are of an elongated oval form, coarsely and irregularly toothed, smooth above, and beneath of a dark green. I I I r li '1 !! I 1 I ill i 1; i; HIIII i '! IB I'- :■ i 1. ] il ill ( '//,7 . //.' ./,('./■« ri.iu y/- ill; ill!! i: ' I CU] La lea exi hill pre! that cord tram yuKi sill sill w . ■- 1 'i 1 Rich SOllt Geoi i» s(i alwu WATER OAK. 65 The acorns are round, of a middle size, and contained in shallow cups lightly covered with scales. I was at first disposed to consider this tree as a variety of the Laurel Oak, to which it bears the greatest affinity; but the leaves of that species are never indented, and not a stock of it exists within a hundred miles of Philadelphia. Several young plants, which I received from Mr. Bartrara himself, have been placed in our public gardens to insure the preservation of the species. PLATE XVIII. A branch with leaves and fruit of the natural size. [See Nuttall's Supplement, vol. i. p. 24, by which it appears that this tree has been discovered near Cincinnati, Ohio. Ac- cording to Meehan's Hand-Book of Trees, the specimen at Bar- tram's Garden is seventy feet high and six feet in circumference.] WATER OAK. yuERCUS AQUATiCA. Q. foliis ohomli-cuneatis, basi acutis, siimmitate suhinteffris, raritve trilobis, (jlabris ; cupuld modice crateratS, ; glande suhglobosd. This species first attracted my attention in the forests near Richmond in Virginia; it becomes more common in proceeding southward, and abounds in the lower parts of the Cnrolinas and Georgia and in East Florida. Under the name of Water Oak it is sometimes confounded with the Willow Oak, by which it is always accompanied in the ponds and narrow swamps enclosed Vol,, i.-r. i I r;i 'I '■ ■: 66 WATER OAK. in the jnne-harrcns. It is inferior in size to the Willow Oak, and rarely exceeds forty or forty-five feet in height and twelve or eighteen inches in diameter. On full-grown trees the leaves are smooth, shining, and pyriform, — or broad and rounded at the summit and terminated in an acute angle at the base. In the severe climate of Virginia they fall with the first frost ; but on the sea-shore of the Carolinas, Georgia, and Florida, they persist during two or three years. There is no Oak in the United States of which the foliage is so variable and so different from that of the tree on the young stocks, and on the sprouts from an old trunk or from the base of a limb that has been lopped: the leaves are commonly oval and deeply and irregu- larly toothed. The acorns, which are contained in shallow, slightly-scaly cups, are brown, small, and extremely bitter: the largest tree rarely yields more than five or six quarts. Like those of the Willow Oak, when kept cool they preserve their fecundity for several months. The bark upon the oldest trunks is smooth and very slightly furrowed; it is little used in tanning, either because it is infei'ior to that of the Spanish Oak or because the tree is less abundant. The wood is very tough, but less durable and loss esteemed by carpenters and wheelwrights than that of the White Oak and Chestnut White Oak. As this species is destitute of interest, it will probably become extinct, like many others which are rapidly diminishing. lu France it would flourish only in the southern departments. PLATE XIX A branch with leaves and fruit of the natural size. [See Nuttall's Supplement, vol. i. p. 33.] /v„, I'.I.M-U Jiuk Oak Odi I , II.' /ill i/,;i/ii /I mm i; tl I ri BLACK JACK OAK. QuERCUS FERUUGiNEA. Q. folOs covioceis, summitate dilatatis, retuso-sub- trilobis, basi rctusis, subtus rubiginoso-pulveruUntls ; cupula turblnatd, squamis obtusis, scariosis; glandc brcci ovatd, Quercus nigra. Willd. I OBSERVED this species for the first time in the forests near Allentown and Cranberry, small towns of New Jersey, about sixty miles east of Philadelphia; but it is smaller and less mul- tiplied than farther south. In New Jersey and Philadelphia it is called Barren Oak, and Black Jack Oak ai Maryland and the more Southern States. .1 have adopted the last of these names only because it is the most generally used, and have changed the specific epithet nigra, because the name of the Black Oak is appropriated in the United States to the Qiiercm tinctoria. This species is commonly found upon soils composed of red argillaceous sand mingled \vith gravel, and so meagre as to be totally exhausted by five or six crops when they are thought worthy of cultivation. Unhappily, from Baltimore to the bor- ders of North Carolina — an extent of four or five hundred miles — the greater part of Maryland and Virginia consists of this soil. The whole of this interval, with the exception of the valleys and the swamps with their surrounding acclivities, is covered with forests impoverished by fire and the cattle that subsist in them during a great part of the year. They are com- posed principally of Yellow Pine, Post Oak, Black Oak, and Scarlet Oak. In the Cai'olinas and Georgia, where th^ soil grar dually improves in retiring from the shore toward the moun- tains, the same trees form a band fifteen or twenty miles wide, between the pine-Jxirrens and the forests of a more generous growth. In Kentucky and Tennessee the Black Jack Oak is seen only in the savannas, where it is widely diffused, and 07 bn iif w r M i rf l:hl lil i' ' ! 1 1 iliii Km 68 BLACK JACK OAK. where, preserved by the thickness of its bark and its insulated position, it survives the conflagrations that almost every year consume the grass: the fire, driven forward by the wind, has only time to devour its foliage. In the pinc-harrens it grows chiefly on the edges of tiie hranch-swamps, where the soil is a little stronger than is necessary for the Pines. With the Upland Willow Oak and the Scrub Oak, it possesses itself of the pine-lands that have been cleared for cultivation and .aban- doned on account of their sterility ; and in these situations it is larger than in the forests. The Black Jack Oak is sometimes thirty feet high and eight or ten inches in diameter, but commonly does not exceed half these dimensions. Its trunk is generally crooked, and is covered with a very hard, thick, and deeply-furrowed bark, of which the epidermis is neai'ly black and the cellular tissue of a dull red. The summit is spacious even in the midst of the woods. The leaves are yellowish, and somewhat downy at their unfolding in the spring; when fully expanded they are of a dark green above, rusty beneath, thick, coriaceous, and dilated toward the summit like a pe.ar. In the autumn they turn reddish and fall with the earliest frost. The oldest trees bear only a few handfuls of acorns, which are lar^e and half covered with very scaly cups. When the stock is more than eight inches in diameter the wood is heavy and compact, but coarse-grained and porous before it has reached this size. As it speedily decays when exposed to the weather, it is not used in the arts. It forms excellent fuel, and is sold at Philadi'lphia only one dollar a cord less than Hickory, while other kinds of wood are a third cheaper. The species deserves the attention of amateurs in Europe for the singularity of its foliage. PLATE XX. A hrmii'h with ktn-cs <(ni/ fnilf of the natural size. lated year , has Trows 1 is a 1 the jlf of aban- s it is eight I half Dvered ch the II red. The ling in above, ummit ith the which tor the porou.s 3 when t forms • a cord heaper. rone for t .i li L 1 ■ ' 1 1' ii ' ( ; M I li ll..i/ir./..„r.-,/,/ Bciir's O.'ik. {)nt'/rii,\ />a//f,\ /(■/'/ /;■ 'i LI|| "m iii I ! I I ■:( BEAR OAK. QuERCUS BAXiSTERi. Q. foliis (o»fje 2'>ctiol(iti'.^, aculreft'rabU'; but they recjuire a good soil and more labor than can at {)resent be aflbrded in America: those that exist in the neighborhood of Philadelphia are left in a condition which wt)uld give a very unfavorable o[)inion of the farmer on whose lands they were seen in the North of France. As the Bear Oak grows on the most sterile soils and resists Mje most intense cold and impi'tuous winds, perhnps it might herve to shelter the infiincy of other more valuable trei's in such exposures. The want of some ])rotection is the greatest ol)- fitacle to the success of phmtations on tlie downs, as I was told, near the Hague upon the coast of llulbind. Proprietors of large estates, who are addicted to the chase, might (ind this species and the Dwiirf Chestnut Oak convenient an per or illy me- rub liftr dex land use ; I an ields i ex- light rhich '^, by [d be , and orses Hs be than u the kvhicli ivhose 'esists might 1 such t ol>- told, i'haso, •nient 'I . I i I i f¥ I ,i I l':l /Cy.»/.- .M U.'llTCMis S( I (ill ( );il\ /'/;/■.' W L ) II ! '' ill pe BARRENS SCRUB OAK. 71 for copses : they would afford nourishment to the game during several months in the year, and would allow the sportsman a ftiir aim at the birds as they rose upon the wing. PLATE XXI. A branch icHh leaves and fruit of the natural size. BARRENS SCRUB OAK. QuERCUS CATESBiEi. Q. folUs brcvissim^ petiolatis, basi anf/mtaiis, aciitis, subpalmato lobaiis, lobis intcrdum subfalcatis ; eujndd majusuld; sqita- viis marginalibus introjlcxis; ghindc bred ocatd. According to my own observations, this species is confined to the lower part of the Carolinas and Georgia. I first saw it a few miles south of Raleigh, N.C., latitude 35° 40'. It grows in soils too meagre to sustain any other vegetation, such as the vicinity of Wilmington, N.C., where the light movable sand is wholly destitute of vegetable mould. It is the only species multiplied in the pine-barrens, and from this circumstance it seems to have derived its name. In traversing these forests, I nowhere saw the Scrub Oak more uniformly disseminated than between Fayetteville and Wil- mington, an interval of sixty miles, where it forms nearly one- tenth of the woods : the Pines themselves, throughout the bar- rens, are scattered at the distance of fifteen or twenty feet. The foliage of this tree is open, and its leaves are large, smooth, thick, and coriaceous toward the clo.se of summer, deeply and irregularly laciniated, and supported by short petioles. With tue first frost they change to a dull red, and fall I i ; '1 1 1 ' - I'" 11 72 BARRENS SCRUB OAK. the ensuing month. The acorns are pretty large, of a bUickish color, and partly covered with a fine gray dust, which is easily rubbed oil' between the fingei's; they are contained in thick cups swollen toward the edge, and distinguished from all other spe- cies by having the upper scales bent inward. The oldest trees alone ai"e productive, and their fruit never exceeds a few hand- fuls. In the winter it is difficult to distinguish the Scrub Oak from the Black Jack Oak, which it nearly resembles. Like that, it is crooked, ramified at the height of two or three feet, and covered with a thick, blackish, deeply-furrowed bark: it is, besides, perfectly similar in the color, texture, and weight of its wood. At Wilmington the Scrub Oak is the best fuel, and is sold separately; but, notwithstanding its abundance in this district, it is insufficient for the supply of the inhabitants. Its size alone would exclude it from use in the arts. The general character of this tree forbids the hopes of ad- vantage that might be conceived from its flourishing upon the most sterile soils. PLATE XXII. A branch with leaves ami fruit of the natural size. !l h li! m // ..; HK^' X / m } SPANISH OAK. QuEROUS FALCATA. (J. fol'ds lo))(/t })diolatis, suhpalmato-lobatis, sublas cxwiie iomentosis, lobis falcatis ; cupula crateriformi; glande subglobosd. Quercus clongata. Willd. This species, like the Black Jack Oak. begins to show itself in New Jersey, near AUentown, about sis !y miles from Phila- delphia. But even at this distance it is smaller thau in the immediate vicinity of the city, where it acquinjs it" perfect development and where its leaves exhibit their ■ .pproprir. t e form. Farther south it is constantly found among the m oi. common trees in the forests. I have observed that it is less multiplied near the mountains and in the country ';ey. ad them. In Delaware, Maryland, and Virginia, it is knoAvii only by the name of Spanish Oak, and in the Caroliniis and Gc'U'gia by that of Red Oak. In an old English woi'k which I found in the library of Charleston it is said to have been called Spanish Oak by the first settlers, from the resemblance of its loaves to those of the Quercus velanl which grows in Spain. Whetlier this etymology is just or not I am unable to say; but it is unknown to the inhabitants who have adopted the name. The deno- mination of Red Oak, which is used r^ly in the more Southern States, was probably given it on accc ".:,, of the great analogy between its wood and that of the species thus called in the Northern and Middle States, whrvti the Spanish Oak is much less common than in the South. This tree is more than eighty feet in height and four or five feet in diameter. Its leaves are very different on different indi- viduals : thus, in New Jersey, where the tree is only thirty feet high and four or five inches thick, they are three-lobod, except a few on the summit, and not falcated as on the large stocks in ^M ; (If I 1 1 1 "li ' J I I 74 SPANISH OAK. the Southern States. On young phints, and on the lower branches of the most vigorous stocks growing in moist and shaded situa- tions, they are also trilobed ; and on the upper limbs they are more acutely laciniated, with the sections more arching, than those represented in the figure. This remarkable difference led my father to describe as a distinct species, under the name of Quercus triloba, the individuals whose foliage had not acquired its perfect form. Sometimes on the sprouts of trees that have been felled the leaves are deeply denticulated at right angles to the main rib. One of their constant characters is a thick down upon the lower side of the leaf and upon the young shoots to which they are attached. The acorns are small, round, of a brown color, and con- tained in slightly-scaly cups supported by peduncles one or two lines in length. They resemble those of the Bear Oak, and, like them, preserve for a l(mg time the faculty of germination. The bark upon the trunk is blackish and deeply furrowed, with a cellular tissue of middling thickness. The wood is red- dish and coarse-grained, with empty pores and all iho charac- teristic properties of the species known in commerce by the general name of Red Oak : hence its staves are fit only to con- tain molasses and pro-'isions and dry-goods. I liave been told tliat in the West Indies the Red Oak staves from the Southern States, where this species abounds, are the most esteemed; from wliich it seems probable that its wood is Ix'tter than that of tlie Red, Scarlet, and Black Oaks that furnish almost all the Red Oak staves from the Northern and Middle States: this supe- riority, however, is not sufficiently marked to occasion a difier- ence in the price. From its want of durability, the Spanish Oak is less esteemed than the White Oak, the Port Oak, and other species of annual fructification. It is rarely em[)loyed in buihling, and is used by wheelwrights only at Baltimore, where it is preferred to the White Oak for the felloes of large wheels. ii! SPANISH OAK. 76 The principal merit of the Spanish Oak, which gives it a superiority over most other species in the United States, resides in its bark. This is preferred for tanning coarse leather, which it renders whiter and more supple; it is consequently sold at Philadelphia and Wilmington a fourth dearer than that of the other Oaks : the leather is said to be improved by the addition of a small quantity of the bark of the Hemlock Spruce. The Spanish Oak is adapted to the climate of the centre of France, if we may judge from its multiplication in the nurseries and in the gardens o^ amateurs. The stocks that have sprung from the acorns which I sent home during my residence in America bear as yet only three-lobed leaves; but they will become falcated at a maturer age. From the inferiority of its wood, this species would not, in my opinion, deserve a place in our forests, though its bark should prove equal to that of the European Oak. But in the Southern States, when some species of trees are to be multiplied in pre- ference to others, the Spanish Oak alone should be spared among the Red Oaks, as, besides its superiority in other respects, it has the advantage of liourisliing on lands of a middling quality, such as compose a large part of that section of the United States. PLATE XXIII. A branch with leaves and f nut of the natural size. J :i 1 1 I HI lili WW HE 1 ' ■• ' ill!! ! I , 1 if ' II . ! LJni BLACK OAK. QuEiicus TINCTOKIA. Q. folus j^rofioiS simwsis, siibtus indccndenUs ; eupulCi iurbinatd, squamosa; glande brcvi ovatd. Except the district of Maine, the northern part of New Hampshire, Vermont, and Tenncsseo, this species is found throughout the United States on both sides of the Alleghiuiies, and it is everywhere called Black Oak. It is more abundant in tiic Middle States and in the upper part of the Carolinas and Georgia tiian on the Southern coast. The Bhick Oak flourishes in a poorer soil than the White Oak. In Maryland and certain districts of Virginia, where the soil is lean, gravelly, and uneven, it is constantly united in the forests with the Scarlet, Spanish, and Post Oaks, and the Mocker- init Hickory, with which the Yellow Pine is also frequently mingled. This Oak is one of the loftiest trees of North America, being eighty or ninety feet high and four or five feet in diameter. The leaves are large, deeply laciniated, and divided into four or five IoIm's: they resemble those of the Scarlet Oak, but have loss deep and oju'ii sinuses, are less shining, of a duller green, and in the spring and during a part of the sunnner have their siu'face roughened with small glands, which are sensible to the eye and to the touch. The same appearance is observed on the young shoo. ^. 1 have remarked that the leaves of tlie young stocks cliange in the autumn to a dull red, and those of the old trees to yellow, beginning with the ))etiole. Tiie trunk is covered with a deeply-furrowed bark of middling thickness, and always of a. black or very deej) brown color, whence probably is derived the nanu' of tlic tree. Northeast of Pennsylvania the complexion of the bark is the only cha- 70 ntis; )und nies, it in and Hiite e the 1 the ckor- ently Ijeing neter. i)ur or have •rreen, ' their to the on the young the old iddling 1 color, rtlieast ly cha- I! !'■ '• !( I'i { li \ ^ II '! I I ; A...1 j(/ CluMU' (iiKM-ciiroii (hici'i IIS /iin/i>riit ■ Ill ! S ■i!;, * If ■'' :| ('1 ; 'ilili!:!i| il BLACK OAK. 77 racter by which it can be (listinguished from the Red, Scarlet, and Gray Oaks, when the leaves are fallen. Farther south this character is not sufficient to distinguish it from the Spanish Oak, the bark of which is of the same color; and recourse must be had to the buds, which, on the Black Oak, are longer, more acuminate, and moi'e scaly. All doubt may be removed by chewing a bit of the cellular tissue of each; that of the Black Oak is very bitter and gives a yellow tinge to the saliva, which is not the case with the other. The wood is reddish and coarse-grained, with empty pores : it is, howevei', more esteemed for strength and durability than that of any other species of biennial fructification. At Philadelphia it is employed, for want of Wliite Oak, in building; and the farmers of the Northern States, with false economy, substitute it in the place of the White Oak for fences. As this species is abundant in the Nortiiern and Middle States, it furnishes a large proportion of the Red Oak staves exported to the colonies or employed at home to contain flour, salted pro- visions, and molasses. The bark is extensively used in tanning, as it is easily pro- cured and is rich in tannin. The only inconvenience which attends it is imparting a 3'ellow color to the leather, which must be discharged by a particular process, to prevent its staining the stockings: it is a great error to assert that this color augments its value. From the cellular tissue of tlie Black Oak is obtained the qnercifron, of which grcat use is made in dyeing wool, silk, and paper-hangings. According to several authors Avho have written on this subject, and, among others. Dr. Bancroft, to whom we are indebted for this discovery, one part of quercitron yields as much coloring-matter as eight ov ten parts of woad. The decoc- tion is of a Ijrownish yellow, which is rendered deeper 1)v alkali and lighter by acids. A solution of alum causes a small portion of the coloring-matter to fall in a deep yellow precipitate ; solu- •I ''I.:' ! \ ! il': I. ! I !.^, il I 'I' fir 78 B L A C K A K. tions of tin afford a more abundant precipitate of the same color but of a much brighter hue. To dye wood, it is sufficient to boil the quercitron with an equal weight of alum: in dipping the stuff, the deepest shade is given first, and afterward the straw-color ; to animate the tint, the stuff may be passed, in coming out of the dye, through water whitened with a little washed chalk. A brighter color is obtained by means of a solution of tin. Quercitron may be substituted for woad in giving all the shades of yellow to silk ; the pro- portion is one part by weight to twelve parts of silk. In the advertisements of Philadelphia for February, 1808, this sub- stance is rated at forty dollars a ton, and from that city chiefly it is exported to Eui'ope. Though the wood of the Black Oak is of a better quality than that of the Scarlet, Spanish, Red, Pin, Gray, Willow, and Water Oaks, which are all comprehended under the name of Red Oah, it is much inferior to that of the European Oak. But its stature, the rapidity of its growth in the coldest climates and on the most indifferent soils, and, above all, the value of its bark in dyeing, recommend it powerfully to the notice of European foresters. [This Oak produces a small acorn, sometimes striped with bars of yellow and brown, in a very deep cup. The leaves figured are such as can always be found on the young, lower, vigorous sprouts ; the leaves on old trees are deeply lobed, — almost as much so as those of the Scarlet Oak. Upon these, as well as on those of the Red and Scarlet, are found smooth, round, light excrescences, called oak-apples, from one to two inches in diameter, formed by the ex* nsion of the cuticle of the leaf. They are produced by an insect, Cynis confiuenhus, which punctures the healthy leaf and deposits therein an egg, about which the apple forms. "A single grub," says Harris, *' lives in the kernel, becomes a chrysalis in the autumn, when ; color ith an lade is le tint, L water itained itituted lie pro- In the is sub- chieflv quality ow, and lame of ik. But climates ralue of otice of )ed with e leaves g, lower, lobed, — these, as smooth, e to two uticle of njiuenius, w an egg, s Harris, nn, when I ll! 11 li I ; 4' n: l! 1 4\\ I ill'! liiii;!' Ii! ill T w il:' I !il !:: /I,:,..,,,/./ Scarlol Oak. t'.//(r/i'/-''f/^' /'/.■.- I'.i.M ,.;,/- atn/>ii/itii /W. '/■/./ A i^' // U: ii,iUhi Xn.'c t \ IF T't '^IjtJ GRAY OAK. 81 the leaves are broader anc fuller toward the ends, larger, more nearly entire, and usually darker and thicker. In the Scarlet Oak the leaves are fuller toward the middle, smaller, thinner, more deeply cut, and of a lighter and livelier color; on small plants especially more deeply cut, but sometimes running down along the footstalk: the footstalk is more slender and longer, and both surfaces and the axils of the veins are always less downy. In the fall the rich and beautiful deep scarlet color, red dotted with crimson, or orange-scarlet, of the foliage of this Oak, make it unmistakable from a«y other species.] Note. PLATE XXV. A leaf of (he natural size. -Thtt ii(orni> in tin's j)ltif- luknuj to the Blade Oak, GRAY OAK. QuERCUS BORKAi.is. Q. follis f'ltna'i^, f/hhris, siiuibus subacittis ; ctipiild siibscKkdata ; ijliihilc luryklc ucatd. The Gray Oak appears, by my fatlier\s notes, to be found fartlior north than any other specie.^ in Aniorlca: in returning from Hudson's Tiwy he saw it on tlie 8t. Lawrence between QiielH?c and Maln';>oie, in latitude 47° 50'. Undi'r that paralh'l, and near Ilalif v in Nova Scotia, where I lirst cbserved it, it is not more than forty feet higli ; and, though tiie bloom is annual, the winter is t'o rigonnr and long that the fruit is said to be matured only oncf in three or four years. Three degrees farther south, in Maine and New Hampshire, and on the shores of Lake Champlain in Vermont, it is more uuiltiplied, and is Vol,. I.-(i '\ 'i ii ij|:jl f7="- illl i lli'il II, I 1' , 'i iiil Ti^M !i; i: , 82 GRAY OAK. fifty or sixty feet in height and eighteen inches in diameter. It is called by the inhabitants Gray Oak; bnt it has been con- founded by botanists with the Red Oak, to which it bears a close analogy in its foliage, as it does to the Scarlet Oak in its fruit: on tliis resemblance I have founded the Latin specific name amhirfiia. The leaves are large, smooth, and deeply sinuatcd at right ^angles to the main rib. The acorns are of the middle size, rounded at the end, and contained in scaly cmis. The wood is similar to that of the other species included under the commgn name of Eed Oak. Its coarse and open texture renders it unfit for any use except to contain dry wares; but, in districts where Oak wood is rar^^, recourse ns had for other purposes to several species of inferior qualify, which are still superior to the Birchj the Beech, and the Pine. Thus, the Gray Oak is employed for the kjiees of vessels and for wheelwrights' work: it is even preferred to the lied Oak, as being stronger and more durable. This tree is without interest, as the regions in which it grows possess other species in every respect more valuable, such as the White Oak, the Swamp White Oak, and the Rock Chestnut Oak. PLATE XXVI. A branch with leaves and frail of the natural size. li 'li iameter. 2en con- 5 a close ts fruit : ic name at right die size, included nd open tain dry course 'd qualify, the Pino. 8 and for I Oak, as . it grows ch ai? the tnut Oak. m M'i- 'ii'i I ft' M I I. t! 1 'I i!r> :;;!;: li II i ifj l*i i i ■e,'..,.; ./. r.i. Oi.k •,/. >' y Photograiiiic Sciences Corporation ^ iV ■9- 4 33 WnT MAIN STRIIT WIUTH.N.Y. MSM ( 71* ) •7a.4S03 ^^' ^ ^ m^ z -hii' ■ M :i ■! If: I 84 RED OAK. coarse-grained, witli tlie pores open and larger than those of the Scarlet and Red Oaks. Though stronger and more tenacious than those species, it is little esteemed for durability. It is used for the shafts of mill-wheels when White Oak of sufficient dimen- sions cannot be procured; it is also sometimes, though rarely, made into staves, as the species is little multiplied compared with the Scarlet, Red, and Black Oaks. The Pin Oak in its youth assumes an agreeable pyramidal shape, and its light elegant foliage contributes greatly to its beauty. It deserves a conspicuous place in parks and gardens. It should never be deprived of its interior branches. The most beautiful stock of tliis species with which I am acquainted in Europe is in a garden near Antwerp: it was about twenty feet high in 1804, and its brilliant and vigorous vegetation proved how well the soil and climate were adapted to it. PLATE XXVII. A branch ivith leaccs and fruit of the natural size. RED OAK. QuERCUs BUBiiA. Q. /(iliis loiit/(^ jxiioliitis, t/liiltris, obtuse sinuatis; nipuld tscuiiilald, tsabldci; yhtiuk subucatd. Next to the Gray Oak, this si)ecies is found in the highest latitude of all the American Oaks, and is one of the most com- mon ppecies in the Nortlu'rn States and in (.'anada. Farther south, particularly in tlie lower part of New York, in New Jersey, the upper districts of Pennsylvania., and along th<' whole range of the Alh'glianies. it is nearly as abundant as the S-arlet ^1 liV' Mir '■ r Iflllfii 1 I t' i I \M i J, ,.! ;i{ ^ A f (hill It/.' iii/'iii I \ i' I' I 'I iii'l .tlil^ RED OAK. 85 and Black Oaks; but it is much less common in Maryland, Lower Virginia, and the maritime parts of the Carolinas and Georgia. This remark confirms an observation which I have often made, — that its perfect development requires a cool climate and a fertile soil. It is universallj' known by the name of Red Oak, except near Lancaster in Pennsylvania, where it is sometimes confounded with the Spanish Oak. The Red Oak is a tall, wide-spreading tree, frequently more than eighty feet high and three or four feet in diameter. Its leaves are smooth and shining on both sides, large, deeply laci- niated, and rounded at the base. They are larger and have deeper and narrower sections on the young stocks than on the middle or the summit of the full-grown tree : these last resemble the leaves of the Spanish Oak, which, however, are always downy beneath, while those of the Red Oak are perfectly smooth. In the autumn they change to a dull red, and turn yellow before they fall. The acorns are very large and abundant, rounded at the sum- mit, compressed at the base, and contained in flat cups covered with narrow, compact scales. They are voraciously devoured by wild animals, and by the cows, horses, and swine which are allowed to range in the woods after the herbage has perished. The wood is reddish and coarse-grained, and the pores are often large enough for the passage of a hair; it is strong but not durable, and is the last among the Oaks to be employed in building. Its principal use is for staves, which at home are used to contain salted provisions, flour, and such dry wares as are exported to the islands, and, in the colonies, to receive mo- lasses and sugar. The bark consists of a very thin epidermis and a very thick cellular tissue. It is extensively used in tanning, but is less esteemed than that of the Spanish, Black, and Rock Chestnut Oaks. The Rod Oak was one of the earliest American trees intro- ■I I ! fl illl'"' '''I. I I, iji'l r 1', '\ I ^MH i ^ i t . 1 i 1 II ' I i, ■ j 1 i l| ,( ; 'i 'i' 1 : ; ! j ■j: 1 • 1 -r 1 1 ! :, 11 1 1 iH !'' !i.' 1 1^ 1 Hi i 1 If l< 1 hn.: il P « A 1 ; ■ ! • [ ' ■■[ ' I \ i 1 !; : [ 1 : : i i i 1 '^ 1 J 1 86 ADDITIONS TO THE OAKS. duccd into Europe. Large stocks are found on the estate of Duhamel, Avliiclr yield seed abundantly and even multiply natu- rally; but the quality of its wood is so inferior that I cannot recommend its propagation in our forests. [The Red is the most northern of the Oaks, Dr. Richardson reporting it as far north as Saskatchawan and the rocks of Lake Namakeen. Though its usefulness is not great, its beauty is unsurpassed, as are also its dimensions, which give an idea of nobility and strength. It grows rapidly from stoles, sometimes six feet in a season.] PLATE XXYIII. A hrmu'h with leaves ami fruit of the natural size. ADDITIONS TO THE OAKS. In the Flora Americw Septentrionalis of Pursh, published in England in 1814, the following species of Oak are added to those which I have described : — QuERri's MARITIMA. Q. foliis perennanlihun, coriaceis, inlegorimis, glabris, basi allcmtatis, apice mucronatin; aipulci scutcUat/i; ylande suhrolunda. A shrub from thi'ee to eight feet high, found on the sea-coast in Virginia and Carolina. I consider it as a variety of the Willow Oak, Quercnfi ]^)heUos. Qi'EH(;ls myrtifoma. Q. fuliis jipremiantihns, coriaceiK, ohlongk, infegemmis, gla- hrix, iiln'nqiie aciiti,'<, mipnt iiiliilis, margiiie 7-erohiliii. This species, of which Mr. Pursh appears to have seen neither the blossoms nor the acorns, escaped my researches : perhaps it ADDITIONS TO THE OAKS. 87 is the variety of the Water Oak which I found among the Live Oaks, and winch preserves its leaves for three or four years. QuFRCus HEMispii/ERiCA. Q, foUis jierennatUibits, ohlongo-lanceolatis, trilohis sinuatis- que, lobi.i mucronatis, utiinque glabria. AVilld. Mr. Pursh has inserted this species from Willdenow, and be- lieves it to be a variety of the Water Oak, Quercus aquatica. QuERCUS NANA. Q. folils cmieifomiis, ghihris, apice trilobis, host subainuatif, lohis, divaricatis, niucronatis, intermedio majore; ciqntld scutellatd. According to Mr. Pursh, this species I a low-growing shrub, distinct from the Water Oak, Quercus aquatica. QuERCL's DISCOLOR. Q. foliis oblonrjt.i, piiinatijido-sinuatiii, subtun pubescentibiis, lobis oblongis, dentatis, seiaceo-mucionatl.i ; ciiptild tiirbinatd. This species of Mr. Pursh I consider as a variety of the Quercus imcforia. OAKS found in New Spain by Messrs. Humboldt and Bonpland, and described in their "No^a Genera et Species Plantarum." Paris, 1816. Quercus covfertifolia. Q. ramtih'.'i abbrevi'aiin ; foUix brerh.iime pctiuhtlis, con- ferfis, Inweohitls, acumiimtis, mun'nnato-ari.tMin, inter/rrn'mit, cnriaceis; man/ine suit- rejlexis, subtus pubescentibns; fmclibus subtjeminlx, ncsaiUbnit. This tree is ten or twelve foet in height: it is evergreen, grows in the tei.^.perate and mountainous regions of N.',.- Spain, between Guanajuato and Santa Rosa, and fructifies in Sep. ember. QuERCu." crassipes. Q. ramrdln tuhernilnniii ; fnHisi brerltcr pctiolatis, lanpeola/n- oblonfjis, miirrniiatis, basi roliimhitia, iutri/rrrimis, run'itcei.i, mihfu.i rinrreo-tomeiifnsi.i ; fructibus pedunctilau' ,wb(/emin.',i ; pnhi)inill.'< incransati.i ; cupiili.'i .iitbhtrbinaii.i. This tree is about twenty feet high : it is found on the low mountains of New Spain, near Santa Rosa, and fructifies in September and October. Quercus Mexicana. Q. ramuIi.ifoJII.iqur, .vibtu.i .iMIatlm pvbe.imif'ht's, svjyra nitidis, Uiie(vi-oblonr/is, acuti.i, submucromiiis, .vibrordali.i, intdulaft)-SHbsiHualis, subcoriaceia ; fructibus soUfariis, breviter peduncnlatis ; cuimlii: cyalkijhniiibus. This species rises from fifteen to twenty feet: it is very i I Hip im \ m l[ I;!1 ,1 III i. ill III III J i! : ilr ill 88 ADDITIONS TO THE OAKS. abundant between Acapulco and the city of Mexico, near Mojo- nera, Quajiniquilapa, and Chilpalcingo, and is also found near Moran, Eegla, Guanajuato, and Santa Eosa: it fructifies in September. Qi'ERCL's i.ANCEor.ATA. Q. ramttUx tuhercitlatix ; foliis oUongo-lanceolatis, uirhique aaifL^, vmlidato-repandis, coriacei.i, nupra nitidis, subtus stcllatim puhescentibus ; fnictihti.t sulitemis, brevissime pedunculaiis ; aipulis cyathiformibiis. This tree equals and sometimes exceeds twenty feet in height: it abounds in the temperate regions of Mexico, between Moran and Santa Rosa, where it forms immense forests: it fructifies in September. QuERCUS TRiDENS. Q. vamis Icevibus ; foliis ohlongis, hasi rotnndatis, apice eiispidato- tndeHtalis, membranaceis, svpra piibescentibus, subtns ienniUr cinereo-tomentosi.i ; frur- tibus feriiis aut qninis, brcviter pcdunadatis. This tree rises from ten to twenty feet: it grows in the moun- tains near Moran in Mexico, and fructifies in May. QuERCus LAi'RiNA. Q. vanudis r/Jabris, foliis ohlonfis, acumimdis, hasi subrnfiindafi.i ; apicem versus suhdodatis, coriiiceis, (jlabris, nitidis; frudibus sulitariis aut teniis, ses- silibtts; eupidis cyathiformibiis. This is a large tree, which resembles the Laurel, and attains the height of forty feet : it is found in the temperate parts of New Spain, in the environs of Pachuca, Totonilco, and Grande : it flowers in May. QuERCUS REPANDA. Q. frttcticosa , procHtnbens ; ramidisfoliisquesubtusalbido-tomen- tosis, snbsessilibxs, oUoiigis, ohiusivscidis, bast inceqiialibus, siimato-repandis coriaceis; fnictihvs subsnlitariis, sessdibus. This is a shrub about two feet in height : it grows in moist, shady situations, between Real del Monte and Moran, and flowers in May. QuERCus DEi'RESSA. Q. frucHcosa pvocumbcns ; armulis pubescentibus ; foliis semper- virentibus, oblonr/is, acutis, basi rotutidatis, argute et remote dentatis, rigidus, glabris, nitidis ; frudibus gcminis aut ternis, brevitcr, peduncidatis. This species is an evergreen shrub, numerously ramified, and only one or two feet in height : it abounds in the same situa- tions with the preceding, and flowers in May and June. ADDITIONS TO THE OAKS. 89 Ql'kucus ciiRVsoriiVM.A. Q. rnmulis sidcalis, piihcsccntibiis ; foUis oblnitfjis, basi rotumiads, apiccm verniis cuspulatu-dentaiis, mcinbruiiuccis, supra nitidis, subtiis tenuis- aime uureo-tomcntosis ; J'ntdibus iernis aut qtiinis, pedunculalis. This tree, wliicli has a thin foliage, rises to the hciglit of tliirty or forty feet, and is from eighteen to twenty-four inches in diameter : it grows in the temperate and stony parts of New Spain between Moran, Pachuca, and Regla, and tiowers in May. QuERCiis JALAi'ENSis. Q. ritmis luberadatis ; foliis lomjc ivlialatis, ovalo-obJongis, acnminatis, remote cimpidato-denlatis, .mbeuriitceis, ylabris ; fmctibus solitariis aut gemi- nis, hrei'itcr pedunculatis ; cupulis cijathijurmibus. This is a very lofty tree, about two feet in diameter: it is very common in the forests near Jalapa, on the eastern side of the mountains : it fructifies in January. QuERcus ACUTiroMA. Q. foliis ovato-luHccolatis, anuminalis, iiuvqualitcr subcordatis, subtus pulcendcnto-lomcntusis, J'erriit 1 1 ii •■'i ii ii' ii ^!il :^ I' I i 94 WALNUTS. From the considerations alleged, and principally from the striking resemblance of their wood, I have thought proper, in describing the species of Hickory, to speak but summarily of their respective properties, and to treat of this part of the sub- ject collectively and comparatively more at large, in a separate article which will complete their history. [For additional information on the Walnuts, see Nuttall's Supplement, vol. i. p. 39. The genus Carya has been separated from Juglans by Nuttall chiefly on account of a technical distinction in the fruit. Propagation, cfcc The species is propagated by the nut; which, when the tree is to be grown chiefly for its timber, is best sown where it is finally to remain, on account of the taproot, which will thus have its full influence on the vigor and prosperity of the tree. In soils on moist or otherwise unfavorable sub- soils, if sown where it is not finally to remain, a tile, slate, or flat stone should be placed under the nut at the depth of three or four inches, to give the taproot a horizontal direction ; or, if this precaution is neglected, the taproot may be cut through with a spade six or eight inches below the nut. In a dry or rocky subsoil, or among rocks, no precaution of this kind is necessary. The varieties may be propagated l)y l)ud(ling, graft- ing, in-arching, or layering, and, possibly, by cuttings of the root. The nuts may be sown as soon as gathered if there is no danger from vermin ; but. if tbere is, defer sowing till Februar}'. The most convenient mode is to deposit the seed in drills two feet ai)art from each other, placing the seeds at from three to bIx inclicB opart in the drills. If germinated in a heap before sowing, the points of the taproot nuiy be pinched ofl' before planting. Whether sown in drills or broadcast, almost the only attention retpiired In their culture while in the nursery ia to shorten once a year the tap or main root, in order to induce \V A L N U T S. 05 them to throw out fibres, for the purpose of facilitating tlioir transplantation, which, if performed in the autumn, should be followed in tlie spring, before the sap begins to rise, by cutting the head of the tree entirely off, leaving only a main stem ter- minating in the stumps of the princii)al branches. The wounds of these stumps are carefully covered with plaster composed of loam and cowdung, or grafting-chi}-, secured from the weather by straw and cords. Trees thus treated push out shoots of great vigor the first year, and, these being tliinned out or rubbed off, the remainder soon form a head. Soil and situation. The "Walnuts attain the largest size in a deep loamy soil, dry rather than moist; but the fruit has the l)est flavcr, and produces most oil, when the tree is grown in calcareous soils or among calcareous rocks : in a wet-bottomed soil it will not thrive. The Walnut is not a social tree, and neither produces good timber nor fruit when planted in masses. The Walnut is generally considered injurious by its shade both to man and plants. Hickories i)lanted in masses should be thinned when tlie plants have attained the height f)f from five to eight feet, the larger trees being left for tifnljer. for ornament, or for fruit. Managed in this way, and gradually exposed to the action of the sun and air, they will have their peculiar l)eauties developed in the fullest manner. Tlie wood which has grown most rapidly is the most valuable, having least of the heart-wood. The ashes of the Hickories abound in alkali, and are ccmsidered better for the ])urpose of making soap than any other of the native woods, being next to those of the Apple-tree. The Shell- bark prows best on the border of cultivated land, or on the edge of a forest. Some of our gardeners have paid attention to pro- ctiring the ])est nuts for cultivation, and the ''true thin-shelled" may now be ])urchased from the nurseries; the nuts, however, will differ in different soils and situations, and even on indi- vidual trees growing in innnediatc; i)roximity.] ,„„„„lM» 1 !l •! « !i: I ;•:! i it> I I iiul HI ^ I :-,!ii n' I'll 4 ill I 'Mi I ^: METHODICAL DISPOSITION WALNUTS or NORTH AMERICA. Mcmecia i^olyandria. Linn. TerebintJiacece. Juss. First Section. Simple aments. {PL 29 and 30.) VEGETATION RAPID. 1. Common European Walnut 2. Black Walnut .... 3. Butternut JugJans rerjla. JiKjlmw nigra. Juglans cathartun. Second Section. HICKORIES. Compound aments, each j>eduncle bearing three. {Pl.86, fig. 3.) VEGETATION SLOW. 4. Pecannut Hickory . . Juglans (Cdn/a) oliro'formia. 5. Bitternut Hickory . . Juglans [Cdnja) amara. 6. Water Bitternut Hickory J^iglans [Cdrya) aquafica. 7. Mockcnuit Hickory . Juglans (Cdri/a) i(nncntosa, 8. Shellbark Hickory . . Juglans [Cdrya] squamosa. 9. Thick Shellbark Hickory Juglans [Cdrga] lacintosa. 10. Pignut Hickory . . . Juglans [Cdrya) pordna. 11. Nutmeg Hickory . . Juglans [Cdrya) myristiva>formi8. 98 COMMON EUROPEAN WALNUT. JuQLAXS REGiA. J. foliolts subscjitcnis, ovalibus, (jlahm, subscrratis, sub- aqualibus : j'rudibus subomllbus. The Walnut which foi' severul centiu'ies has been cultivated in Europe is a native of Asia. According to an ancient but uncertain tradition, its fruit was brought from Persia with the Poach and the Apricot. My father, who, in the years 1782, '83, and '84, visited that part of the East to examine its natural productions, first ascertained wath exactness the origin of this tree : he found it, in the natural state, in the province of Ghilan, which lies on the Caspian Sea, between the 35th and 40th degrees of latitude. The period of its introduction into Europe — a point on which ancient authors leave us in obscurity — is proved to be remote by several rites in use among the Romans ; such, for instance, as the distribution of nuts in the Cercalia. In the village festival of the Rosiere, instituted by St. Medard, at Salency, Department of the Oise, twelve hundred years ago, it is directed that an oiFering composed of nuts and other fruits of the country shall be presented to tlie young muid who is crowned; which proves the tree to have been already naturalized in that part of France. The Walnut is common throughout the centre of EiU'opo; but it flourishes most in the western and southern departments of France, in Spain and in Italy, wliic']i approach nearest to the latitude in which it grows naturally. In France it is only in the west and south, whore the vegetaticm of the Walnut is per- fectly secure from frost, that its wood is of a superior (piality, and that its fruit is regularly yielded in suflicient abundance to become an article of commerce. The European Walnut is one of the tallest and most bi'auti- voi,. 1-7 07 98 COMMON EUROPEAN WALNUT. : ! ! I I; 11 ■ i\' ! 'If li ^1 li ful among fruit-trees, and one of the most remarkable for the amplitude of its summit and the thickness of its shade. On the trunk of old trees, which frequently are several feet in diii- meter, the bark is thick and deeply furrowed; on the upper branches it is gray and smooth, a good deal resembling that of the Butternut. The leaves are borne by long petioles, and are composed of two, three, and sometimes four pair of leaflets, surmounted by an odd one. The leaflets are oval and smooth ; when bruised, they exhale a strong aromatic odor. In the ex- treme heat of summer, the emanations from the Walnut are so powerful as to produce unpleasant effects upon some persons if they slumber in its shade. The flowers of the Common European Walnut, like those of the Black Walnut and Butternut, appear before the unfolding of the leaves ; the barren ones in single, pendulous, imbricated aments, the fertile ones on separate branches, at the end of the young shoots, and commonly in pairs. The fruit is green and oval, and in the natural state contains a small hard nut. In the most esteemed cultivated species, the fruit is oval and strongly odoriferous, about an inch and two-thirds long and from an inch and a quarter to an inch and a half in diameter. Tlie nut occupies two-thirds of its volume. Toward autunni the husk softens, and, decaying from about the nut, allows it to fall. The shell is slightly channelled, and so thin as to be easily crushed by the fingers. The kernel is of a very agreeable taste : it is large, covered with a fine pelli(;le, and sei)arated by a thin partition, which may readily be detached both from the shell and from the kernel. The nuts are better-tasted and easier of digestion soon after their maturity than later in the season, when the oily principle becomes perfectly formed; they are then oppi'essive, if immo- derately eaten. A dessert of an excellent relish is made by extracting the kernels a fortnight before they are ripe, and seasoning them COMMON EUROPEAN WALNUT. 99 with the juice of green gi-apes and salt. They should be thrown into water as soon as they are taken from the shell, and allowed to remain till the moment when they are seasoned to be set upon the table. They are sold in Paris by the name of Cer- neaux; and a greater quantity of walnuts is consumed in this way by people in easy circumstances than after they are per- fectly ripe : the use of them is then almost exclusively confined to the lower classes. The Common Walnut is more multiplied in the departments of France which lie between the 45tli and the 48th degrees of latitude than in any other part of Europe. In these depart- ments it is planted in the midst of cultivated fields, like the Apple-tree for cider in those of the north and the centre : the fruit, the oil, and the wood, may be considered as forming one of their principal branches of commerce. In extracting the oil of Walnuts, certain delicate attentions are necessary to insure its fineness. When the fruit is gathered and the nuts are separated from the husks, they should be kept dry and occasionally moved till they are used. The proper time for the operation is at the close of winter, as in this interval the change by which the mucilage of the fruit is converted into oil has become completely effected, and by longer delay the kernel gi'ows rancid and the oil is of a vitiated quality. The nut is cracked by striking it on the end with a small mallet, and pains are taken not to bruise the kernel. The slight ligneous parti ti(m is detached, and such kernels as are partially spoiled are selected and thrown aside. The sound kernels, thus cleared from every particle of the shell, should be sent immediately to tlie mill, as they soon become rancid by exposure to the air. They are crushed by a vertical stone, which turns in a circular trough, and is moved by a horse or by a current of water. The paste is next enclosed in bags of strong linen and submitted to tlio press. The oil which flows under this first pressure without the application of heat is of the best quality. It is very clear, 1 ;M i I I'l! N l:l| i! iillir'r ' i\ i|' 'I i: 'n i !i •■ ', ill: b • I'm 100 COMMON EUROPEAN WALNUT. and is proper for food ; but it sensibly retains the taste of the nut, "vvhich in general is not agreeable to persons unaccustomed to it, so that the consumption is limited to the departments where it is made. To be kept sweet for the table, it should be drawn off several times during the first months, carefully corked, and stored in the cellar, as it is more easily afiected than an}' other oil by the action of air and heat. After the first expression, the paste is emptied from the sacks, moistened with warm water, and moderately heated in coppers. It is then replaced in the sacks and returned to the pi'ess. The oil of the second discharge is highly colored, and very speedily becomes rancid; it is therefore employed only in the prepara- tion of colors. The cakes which remain after the expression is finished are used for fattening fowls. Although nut-oil, as an article of diet, is in general use in the departments where the tree abounds, it serves a still more im- portant pui'pose in the preparation of fine colors. It is preferred on account of the complete and rapid manner in which it dries, and of the facility of obtaining it perfectly limpid, which is done by diffiising it upon water in large shallow vases. In copper-plate printing, walnut-oil is considered, in Paris, indispensably neccssarj' for a fine impression in black or in colors. But there are peculiar modes of preparing it for the several colors with which it is to ])e mixed. Thus, for white, blue, light green, and the intermediate shades, it is reduced l>y boiling to two-thirds of its Ijulk ; but, for dark green and black, to one-fifth, which leaves it a thick, semifluid sul)stance. To facilitate the process, one-tenth part of linseed-oil is added to it; it is then placed, in an iron or copper vessel, over an active, clear fire. Wlien it Ijegins to boil rapidly, the vessel is unco- vered, and the oil takes fire by contact with the flame and burns till it is reduced to the proper consistency: sometimes it is not allowed to kindle, but, when the ebullition commences, crusts .)f bread are thrown into it, which remain till the necessary locessarv COMMON EUROTEAN WALNUT. 101 evaporation is effected, and are then taken out, charged with mucilaginous particles. The principal advantage of this oil, in the preparation of white lead for painting the interior of houses, as well as of the colors employed in copper-plate printing, is the longer and more perfect preservation of the tints. The backs of prints done with it do not turn yellow like otliers. A fine stomachic liquor is made with the fruit of the Walnut gathered a month before its maturity. Twelve green nuts in the husk are bruised and thrown into a pint of good brandy ; after they have steeped three weeks, the l^rand}- is filtered through brown paper, and a quarter of a pound of loaf-sugar is added. This cordial improves by age. Dyers obtain, by boiling the husks when they begin to decaj-, and the bark of the roots, a substantial dark brown with which they dye woollens. Cabinet-makers also make use of it in staining other pieces of wood in imitation of Walnut. Among the American Walnuts which are found east of the Mississippi, the Black AValnut bears the greatest resemblance to the European Walnut in its general appearance, in its flowers and fruit, and in the qualities of its wood : in foliiige they are strikingly different. The wood of the European Walnut is infei'ior in strength and weight, and, 1 believe, far more liable to injury from worms. Twenty or thirty years ago, before Mahogany was imported in such abundance into Europe, Walnut wood wns employed almost exclusively in cabinet-making. In tlie country it is still in general use, and the furniture made of it is far from being inelegant, especially pieces obtained from such old trees as bear small and thick-shelled nuts. It is preferred for the stocks of muskets; and in Paris and Brussels no other wood is used for the panels of carriages. The old trees furnish excellent screws for large presses. Great quantities of wooden shoes are manu- factured of Walnut, which are more highly esteemed than others. The wood of the Enropciin Walnut is largely exported from ir^ "I nil 'ii iiiii 'i-:^r^ii.|!! . ■'ill' '^'/! III' P"' !!|l I r Ml i' ill i|!i 102 COMMON EUROPEAN WALNUT. the south of Franco to the north and to Holhind and Germany: formerly it was carried to Enghand. Like other fruit-trees, whose perfection is among the " noblest conquests of industrious man," the Walnut has been greatly improved by long and careful cultivation. There are seven or eight cultivated vai'ieties, whose superiority is principally ap- parent in the augmented size of the fruit and in the diminished thickness of the shell. Of these the most esteemed, after that which I have described, are the St. Jean and the JaiKjc Wal- nuts. The St. John Walnut is a variety obtained within a few years. It yields fruit as large and as abundant as the com- mon Walnut, and for that part of Europe which lies beyond the 45th degree of latitude it possesses an advantage in opening its vegetation three weeks later and in being thus secure from the injuries of frost. The Jauge Walnut is chiefly remarkable for the size of its fruit, which is twice as large as the variety repre- sented in the plate. It is unproductive, and the kernel does not fill the shell. The Jauge nut is made into cases by jewellers, and furnished with trinkets, for the amusement of children. The Avood of the Black Walnut is already superior to that of the European Walnut; and it will acquire a still finer' grain when it is raised on lands that have been long under cultiva- tion. It is solely for the excellency of its fruit and the decided superiority of its oil in the preparation of colors, that the Euro- ])ean Walnut should be warmly recommended to the attention of Americans. It would thrive better than elsewhere in places where the Black Walnut naturally abounds. In some parts of Pennsylvania and Maryland the Black Wal- nuts have been preserved in clearing the lands. Great advan- tage would be found in grafting them with the European Wal- nut. The limbs should be cut fifteen inches from the trunk, and from the stumps will spring vigorous shoots, which, the second year, may be grafted by inoculation. Fifty or sixty buds should be set upon each tree, as is practised near Lyons, where COMMON EUROPEAN WALNUT. 103 it is found that, by iuHcrting the Wahuit of St. John on the com- mon Walnut, the fruit is rendered finer and the crop more cer- tain. Black Walnuts thus grafted begin to bear the fifth year. On estates where no Black Walnut exist, the deficienc}' may be supplied by planting the nuts and grafting the young stocks when they come to the height of eight or ten feet. It should be observed, that in the Walnut, more than any other tree, it is necessary, on account of the loose texture of the wood and the large volume of the pith, to protect the amputated limbs from the weather. A covering of clay should be so nicely adapted to the exposed siu'face as entirely to exclude the rain; otherwise, decay will commence and spread itself into the body of the tree. In those parts of France, Belgium, and Germany, where the Walnut is not cultivated for commerce, the trees have generally sprung from the seed, which is the cause of the inferiority of their fruit. For it is observed that, with a few accidental ex- ceptions, the finest fruits and llowers degenerate in reproduction. This inconvenience would be experienced in the United States; and, as there do not perhaps exist in that country, south of the Hudson River, ten European Walnut-trees,'^' I should recommend the importation from Bordeaux of young grafted trees, which will soon furnish the means to such proprietors as wish to enrich their estates with this useful and magnificent tree. PLATE XXIX. Fig. 1. A leaf of half the natural size. Fig. 2. Barren flowers. Fig. 3. Fertile flowers. Fig. 4. A nut in its husk of the natural size. Fig. 5. A nut without its husk. Fig. G. A nut deprived of half the shell, to show the kernel. * [Since this was written, the European Walnut has been extensively introduced in America, but as far north as IMiiladolphia it does not produce fruit abundantly except in sheltered situations or when surrounded by hard surface-ground.] BLACK WALNUT. !" i'M I'll; H:i .:ii ■|i!l!l \M' JuGLAXs NKiiiA. ,/. foUoUs q)ii)i(fi'nls, siibcordntis, snpcriih anffuntad.i, serralis; fvudti f/lohoso, pioicldto, scdbriuscido ; nucc corriifjatii. Tins tree is known in all parts of the United States where it grows, and to the French of Upper and Lower Lonisiana, by no other name than Black Walnut. East of tlu> Alleghany Moun- tains, the most northern point at which it appears is about Goshen in the State of New Jersey, in the latitude of 40° 50'.''' West of the mountains it exists almndantly two degrees farther north, in that portion of Genesee which is comprised between the 77th and 79th degrees of longitude. This observation, as I shall have occasion to remark, is applicable to several other vegetables the northern limit of whose appearance varies with the climate; and this becomes milder in advancing toward the west. The Black Walnut is multiplied in the forests about Philadelphia; and, with the exception of the lower parts of the Southern States, where the soil is too sandy, or too wet, as in the swamps, it is met with to the banks of the Mississippi, throughout an extent of two thousand miles. P]ast of the Alle- ghany Mountains in Virginia, and in the upper part of the Carolinas and of Georgia, it is chiefly confined to the valleys •where the soil is deep and fertile, and which are watered by creeks and rivers: in the western country, in Genesee, and in the States of Ohio and Kentucky, where the soil in general is very rich, it grows in the forests, with the CofFee-tree, Honey Locust, Red Mulberry, Locust Shellbark Hickory, Black Sugar Maple, Hack Berry, and Red Elm: — all which trees prove the goodness of the soil in which they are found. It is in these countries that the Black Walnut displays its ' ancjuntaUfi, iir/atil. s where it ana, by no imy Moun- s is about .1' 40° 50'.='= COS farther id between I'ation, as I >'er.al other varies with toward the rests about )arts of the I wet, as in Mississippi, of the AUe- [)art of the the valleys watered by jsce, and in 1 general is tree. Honey [Jlack Sugar IS prove the displays its ii I |l":l' I I , 'I'l' f ll'i IU.uk W.ilinil mi. 'I il BLACK WALNUT. 105 full proportions. On the banks of the Ohio, and on the ishinds of that beautiful river, I have often seen trees of three or four feet in diameter and sixty or seventy feet in height. It is not rare to find them of the thickness of six or seven feet. Its powerful vegetation clearly points out this as one of the largest trees of America. When it stands insulated, its branches, ex- tending themselves horizontally to a great distance, spread into a spacious head, which gives it a very majestic appearance. The leaves of the Bhick Walnut when bruised emit a strong aromatic odor. They are about eighteen inches in length, pinnate, and composoil in general of six, seven, or eight pair of leaflets surmounted by an odd one. The leaflets are opposite and fixed on short petioles; they are acuminate, serrate, and somewhat downy. The Ijarren flowers are disposed in pendulous and cylindrical aments, of which the peduncles are simple, un- like those of the Hickories, (PI. 30, fig. 1.) Tlie fruit is round, odoriferous, of rather an uneven surface, and always appears at the extremity of the branches : on young and vigorous trees it is sometimes seven or eight inches in circumference. The luisk is thick, and is not, as in tiie Hickories, divided into sections, but when ripe it softens and gradually decays. The nut is hard, somewliat compressed at the sides, and sulcated. The kernel, wliich is divided by firm ligneous partitions, is of a sweet and agreeable taste, though inferior to that of the European Walnut. These nuts are sold in the markets of New York, Philadelphia, and Baltimore, and served upon the tables. The si/.e of the fruit varies considerably, and depends upon the vigor of the tree and uptm the nature of the soil and of tlie diniate. On the banks of the Ohio, and in Kentuekv, tlu' fruit with the husk is seven or eight iiu-bes in compass, with the nut proportionally large: in Oenesee, on the contrary, where the cold is intense, and in fields exhausted by cultivation, wlu're these trees have been ])reserved since the first clearing of the land, it is not of more than half this vobnne. Some variations ar»' observed in I.— T* l|■■■ iliJ: I » I] I the form of the fruit and in the moulding of the shell; but these I consider as merel}^ accidental differences. Indeed, there is no genus of trees in America in which the fruit of a given species exhibits such various forms as in the Walnut; and doubtless this circumstance has misled observers, who, being ac(juainted only with the small number of trees existing in European gardens, have described them as distinct species. The bark of the Black Walnut is thick, blackish, and, on old trees, deeply furrowed. When the timber is freshly cut, the sap is white and the heart of a violet-color, which after a short ex- posure to the air assumes an intenser shade and becomes nearly black; hence probaljly is derived the name of Black Walnut. There are several qualities for which its wood is principally esteemed. It remains sound during a long time, even when ex- posed to the inlluences of heat and moisture : but this observa- tion is applicable only to the heart; the sap speedily decays. It is very strong and very tenacious; when thoroughly seasoned, it is not liable to Avarp and split; and its grain is sufficiently fine and compact to admit of a beautiful polish. It possesses, in addition to these advantages, that of l)eing secure from worms. On account of these excellencies, it is preferred and successfully enrployed in many kinds of woi'k. East of the Allejihanies, its timjjer is not extensivelv used in buildinn' houses; but in some pai'ts of Kentucky mid Ohio it is s[)lit into shingles eigliteen inches long and from four to six inches wide, which serve to cover tlu-m : sonu'times also this tind)er enters into the comjiosition of the ir;uue. Ihit it is chielly in cabiiiet- nudiingthat the Black Walnut isemi)l(tyi'd where Vi'r it abounds. By selecting pieces from the upper part of the trunk, inuiie- diatcly I)elow the fu'st ramilit'iitiou. luniiture is sometimes niiule wiiich from the accidental curlings of the grain is highly beaii- tiful; but, as its color soon changes to a dusky hue, the Wild (Mierry wood is fre(|uently preferred for this use. The Black Wahiut is also employed lor nuisket-stocks; it is stronger and BLACK W A L N U T. 107 tougher than the Red-flowering Maple, which, from its superior lightness and elegance, is chosen for fowling-pieces. In Virginia posts are very commonly made of Black Walnut; and, as it lasts undecayed in the ground froni twenty to twenty-five years, it appears everyway fit for this purpose. I have been assured that it makes excellent naves for wheels, which further proves its strength and durability. At Philadelphia coffins are very frequently made of it. The timber of this tree is also excellently adapted to certain uses in naval architecture. It should never be wrought till it is perfectly seasoned, after which it is asserted to be more durable, though more brittle, than the White Oak. Breckel, in his "History of North Carolina," affirms that it is not liable, like the Oak, to be attacked by sea-worms in warm latitudes. This advantage, if it is real, is highly important, and deserves to be ascertained by further observation. In the marine lumber- yards of Philadelphia I have often seen it used for knees and floor-timber; but in the vessels built at Wheeling and Marietta, towns on the Ohio, it constitutes a princii)al part of the frame. On the river Wabash canoes are made of it which are greatly esteemed for strength and dural)ility. Hemic of them, fashioned from the trunk of a single tree, are more than forty feet long and two or three feet wide. The Black Walnut is expoi'ted in small quantities to England in planks of two inches in thickness, which are sold at Phihi- delphia at four cents a foot.''' The husk of the fruit yields a color similar to that which is >'l'l :! * [The (k'inand for Walnut wood in the Atlantic cities, and tlio want of atten- tion to its cultivation, have since made it necessary for the cal)inet-niakers, &c. to import from tlie West the irrenter portion of tlioir supplies. This resource nmst f.iil in time, and the wood may not iniprohahly become nearly as costly aa Mahogany, which it resembles in many of its properties.] 108 BLACK WALNUT. !■ ' : I ■i , I I obtained from the European Walnut. It is used in the country for dyeing woollen stuffs. This tree has long since been introduced, in England and France, into the gardens of the lovers of foreign culture. It succeeds perfectly, and yields fruit abundantly. Though differ- ing widely from the European species, it bears a nearer re- semblance to it than any other American Walnut. By com- paring the two species as to their utility in the arts and in com- merce, it will appear that the wood of the Black Walnut is more compact, heavier, and much stronger; that it is susceptible of a finer polish, and that it is not injured by worms, — qualities which, as has been seen, render it fit not only for the same uses with ours, but also for the larger works of architecture. These considerations sufficiently evince that it is a valuable tree, and that it is with great reason that many proprietors in America have spared it in clearing their new lands. On highroads, I am of opinion that it might be chosen to succeed the Elm; for experience has proved that, to insure success in the continued cultivation of trees or herbaceous plants on the same soil, the practice must be varied with species of different genera. Nuts of the European Walnut and of the Black Walnut have been planted at the same time in the same soil: those of the Black Walnut are observed to shoot more vigorously, and to grow in a given time to a greater height. By grafting the Eur(»pean upcm the American species at IIk; height of eight or ten feet, their advantages, with respect to the quality both of wood and of friiit, might be united. PLATE XXX. A leaf of hdJf its natural size. Fi;/. 1. A nut with its husk. Fif/. 2. A nut wlthoal its hus/i. Fiy. 3. A barren an" 7. I the country England and culture. It 'hough differ- a nearer re- nt. By com- ,s and in com- ck Walnut is is susceptible ms, — qualities the same uses cture. These lable tree, and irs in America 1 highroads, I ;eed the Elm; I the continued same soil, the genera. k Walnut have I: those of the i\y, and to grow g the Euri^pean ■ht or ten feet, )th of wood and sic. Fig. 2. A nut vi liii n ' iii:' I'l Hi ill i! ' ::ii r : I ■' I il l> I i I 1^ /•.'//.:/.',,.'.■,/.■/ hnllrr \iil / ■ ,'/ k s I HK lU I (I ! BUTTERNUT JuaLANS CATiiAUTicA. J. folioUs subquimlcnis, lanceolatis, basi roiandato- ohlasis subtus tomentosis, leiiter serratis; fructu oblonrjo, ovato, (qnee mammoso, viscido, longb pcdunculato, nuee oblongd, acuminatd, insignilcr insculpti-scabrosd. Tins species of Walnut is known in North America under different denominations. In Mas. .chusetts, New Hampshire, and Vermont, it bears the name of Oihiut: in Pennsylvania and Maryland, and on the banks of the Ohio, it is generally known by that of White Walnut; in Connecticut, New York. New Jersey, Virginia, and in the mountainous districts of the upper parts of the Carolinas, it is called Butternut. The last of these names I have retained, because it is not wholly un- known in those parts of the United States where the others are in general use, and because the wood is employed in the neigh- borhood of New York for a greater variety of uses than else- where. I think also that the Latin specific name Cathartica, which was long since given it by Doctor Cutler of Massachusetts, should be definitively substituted for that of Cinerea, by which it has hitherto been distinguished among botanists. This last appellation, derived from the color of the secondary branches, whose bark is smooth and grayish, suggests only an unim- portant characteristic, while the first expresses one of the most interesting properties of the tree. The Butternut is found in Upper and Lower Canada, in the district of Maine, on the shores of Lake Erie, in the States of Kentucky and Tennessee, and on the banks of the Missouri ; but I have never met with it in the lower part of the Carolinas, of Georgia, ai.d of East Florida, where the nature of the soil and the intemperate heat of the summer are unfiivorable to its vegetation. In cold regions, on the contrary, its growth is luxu- 109 ( * III ,1 "li ll!ll 110 B U T T E R N U T. riant; for in the State of Vermont,'" where the winter is so rigor- ous that sledges are used during four months in the year, this tree attains a eircumfei'ence of eight or ten feet. I have nowhere seen it more abundant than in the bottoms which border the Ohio between Wheeling and Marietta; but the thickness of these forests, which are hardly penetrated by the sun, appears to prevent its utmost expansion. I have seen here no trees as large as some in New Jersey, on the steep and elevated banks of the Hudson, nearly opposite to the city of New York. The woods in this place are thin, and the soil cold, unproductive, and interspersed with large rocks, in the interstices of which the biggest Butternuts have their root. I have measured some of them, which, at five feet from the ground, were ten or twelve' feet in circumference, and which were fifty feet in height, with roots extending even with the surface of the ground, in a ser- pentine direction and with little variation in size, to the distance of forty feet. The trunk ramifies at a small height, and the branches, seeking a direction more horizontal than those of other trees, and spi'eading widely, form a large and tufted head, which gives the tree a remarkable appearance. The buds of the Butternut, like those of the Black Walnut, are uncovered. In the spring its vegetation is forward, and its leaves unfold a fortnight earlier tlian those of the Hickories. Each leaf is composed of seven or eight pair of sessile leaHets, and terminated by a petiolated odd one. The leaflets are from two to three inches in length, lanceolate, serrate, and slightly downy. The barren flowers stand on large cylindrical aments, which are single, four or five inches long, and attached to the shoots of the preceding year; the fertile flowers, on the contrary, come out on the shoots of the same spring, and are situated at their extremity. The ovarium is crowned by two rose-colored stigmata. The fruit is cuinmonly single, and suspended by a ill! [Ft ooours Id all the New England States. Ivmersun.] i BUTTERNUT. Ill thin, pliable peduncle, about three inches in length; its form is oblong-oval, without any appearance of seam. It is often two and a lialf inches in length and five inches in circum- ference, ill i is covered with a vi«cid adhesive substance, com- posed of small transparent vesicles, which are easily discerned with the aid of a glass. The nuts are hard, oblong, rounded at the base, and terminated at the summit in an acute point; the surface is very rough, and deeply and irregularly furrowed. They are ripe in the neighborhood of New York about the 15th of Septt3niber, — a fortnight earlier than the other species of Walnut. Some years they are so abundant that one person may gather several bushels of them in a day. The kernel is thick and oily, and soon becomes rancid; hence, doubtless, are derived the names of Butternut and Oilnut. These nuts are rarely seen in the markets of New York and Philadelphia. The Indians who inhabited these regions pounded and boiled them, and, separating the oily substance which swam upon the surface, mixed it with their food. When the fruit has attained about half its growth, it is sometimes used for making pickles, being fii'st plunged into boiling water, and thoroughly wiped, to clean it of its down, and afterward preserved in vinegar. The Black Walnut and Butternut, when young, resemble each other in their foliage and in the rapidity of their growth; but when arrived at maturity, their forms are so diflerent as to be distinguishable at first sight. Remarkable peculiarities are also found on examining their wood, especially when seasoned ; the Black Walnut is heavy, strong, and of a dark brown color, while the Buttei'nut is light, of little strength, and of a reddish hue; but they possess in common the great advantage of lasting long and of being secure from the annoyance of worms. From its want of solidity, and from the difficulty of procuring pieces of considerable length, Butternut timber is never used in the cities in the construction of houses, though it is sometimes employed for this purpose in the country. In some districts of New ' ' i ' !J !L«' I m. i Ml i ifl 'ji -.f'^p' 112 BUTTERNUT. M v r I i ii : 1:| J! il V ' I Jersey it is often taken for the sleepers which are placed imme- diately on the ground, in the framing of houses and barns. As it long resists the effects of heat and moisture, it is esteemed for the posts and rails of rural fence and for troughs for the use of cattle. For corn-shovels and wooden dishes, it is preferred to the Red-tlowering Maple, because it is lighter and less liable to split; consequently, articles made of it are sold at a higher price. Near New York I have observed it to be made use of for canoes formed of one or two logs, and for the futtocks de- signed to give them solidity; but in boats of considerable size some stronger wood is selected for this purpose. At Pittsburg, on the Ohio, the Butternut is sometimes sawn into planks, for the construction of small skiffs, which, on account of their light- ness, are in request for descending the river. At Windsor, in Vermont, it is used for the panels of coaches and chaises; the workmen find it excellently adapted to this object, not only from its lightness, but because it is not liable to split and receives paint in a superior manner. Indeed, I have remarked that its pores are more open than those of the Poplar and Bass wood. The medicinal properties of Butternut bark have long since been proved by several eminent physicians of the United States, and, among others, by Doctor Cutler.'" An extract in water, or even a decoction sweetened with honey, is acknowledged to be one of the best cathartics afforded by the materia medica; its l)urgative operation is always sure, and unattended, in the most delicate constitutions, with pain or iri'itation. Experience has shown lliat it produces the best effects in many ca.ses of dysen- tery. It is connnonly given in the form of pills, and, to adults, in (lo.ses from half a scruple to a scruple. It is not, however, in general use, except in the; country, where many of the farmers' * [PrcviouHly, by Pr. RuhIi, in tlie war of the Revolution : the officiual extract id till' only one now used by |iriictiticiiierM.] BUTTERNUT. 118 wives provide a small store of it in the spring for the wants of their families and of their neighbors. They obtain it by boil- ing the bark entire in water till the liquid is reduced by evapo- ration 10 a thick, viscid substance, whicii is almost black. This is a faultj' process: the exterior bark, or the dead part which covers the cellular integument, should first be taken off; for, by continued boiling, it becomes charged with four-fifths of the liquid, already enriched with extractive matter. I have also seen this bark successfully employed as a revulsive in inflammatory ophthalmias and in the toothache : a piece of it soaked in warm water is applied in these cases to the back of the neck. In the country it is sometimes emplo^'ed for dyeing wool of a dark brown color; but the bark of the Black Walnut is preferable for this purpose. On a live tree the cellular tissue, when first exposed, is of a pure white; in a moment it changes to a beautiful lemon-color, and soon after to a deep brown. If the trunk of the Butternut is pierced in the month which precedes the unfolding of the leaves, a pretty copious discharge ensues of a slightly-sugary sap, from which, by evaporation, sugar is obtained of a quality inferior to that of the Sugar Maple. Although the Butternut, as has been seen, possesses useful properties, I do not think it sufficiently valuable, either in the arts or for fuel, to recommend its introduction into the forests of the Old Continent: it should find place only in our pleti- siu'e-grounds. PLATE XXXI, A h;tf of hnlf its vatiiml si:i\ Fifj. 1. A mit with its husk. nut Without Its husk. Fig. 2. A iml extract ; 1 V' '■^ PECANNUT HICKORY JuGLANS OLiv.T':roK.Mis. J. fulioUs phirimis, sKhpcthlutis, falmds, sen-a tis; frnctu oblongo, iwominulo-quadrcuujulo ; mice oUav/ornd, levi. Ciirya olivajforiiiis. NuTT. This species, which is found in Upper Louisiana, is culled, by the French of Illinois and New Orleans, Pacanier, and its fruit Ricancs, This name has been adopted by the inhabitants of the United States, who call it Pecannut. On the borders of the rivers Missouri, Illinois, St. Francis, and Arkansas, it is most abundantly multiplied : it is also common on the river Wabash ; on the Ohio it is found for 200 miles from its junction with the Mississippi ; higher than this it becomes more rare, and is not seen beyond Louisville. My father, in traversing this country, learned from the French inhabitants, who ascend the Mississippi in quest of furs, that it is not found on that river lieyond the mouth of the Great Mackakity, which dis- charges itself in the latitude of 42° 51'.* This tree grows most naturally in cold and wet grounds. There is a swamp of 800 acres, situated on tiie right bank of the Ohio, opposite to the river Cumberland, which is said to l)e entirely covered with it, and which is called, by the French, La Mtcanlerc. The Pecannut is a beautiful tree, with a straight and well- shaped truidc ; in the forests it reaches the height of sixty or seventy feet. Its wood is coarse-grained, and, like tiie otiier Hickories, heavy and com})act : it possesses also great str<;nv*'' and durability ; but in these res[)ects it is inferior to some spe- * [It bfurH fruit in giirdciiH near I'iiiludt'liiliiii, but oiui Hciiicvly bu mtid to per- f«ot it.] 114 levi. NUTT. called, and its ibitanta :ders of IS, it is le river unction re rare, ivcrsing ) ascend on that lich dis- ^rounds. banlc of lid to l)e French, lid well- sixty or he other stn.'nv*'' H)nie spe- snid til per- i/ii! M' J t \ /'/, :h i / /',.,.•,,..' i; II! I m i 1 : ; h. I, ! n i: i^ : 'J: Jl ; ', > i." i! i ' I •;■ i;:'; ■■ f I :ii'' S f ']' ' ' M 1 PECANNUT HICKORY. 1J5 cies hereafter to be described. Its buds, like those of the BUick Walnut and Butternut, are uncovered. The leaves are from twelve to eighteen inches in length, and are supported by peti- oles somewhat angular, and slightly downy in the spring. Each leaf is composed of six or seven pair of sessile leaflets and terminated by a petiolated odd one, which is commonly smaller than the pair immediately preceding. The leaflets on ilourishing trees are from two to throe inches long, ovnte, ser- rate, and remarkable for the circular form of the upper edge, while the lower one is less rounded. It is also to be noticed that the main rib is placed a little below the middle of the leaflet. The nuts, which are usually abundant, are contained in a husk from one to two lines thick, and have four slightly-promi- nent angles corresponding to their internal divisions. They vary in length from an inch to an inch and a half, are pointed at the extremities, of a cylindrical form, ond of a yellowish color, marked at the period of perfect maturity with blackish or purple lines. The shell is smooth and thin, though too hard to be broken by the fingers : the kernel is full, and, not being divided by ligneous partitions, is easily extracted. These nuts, which are of a xcvy agreeable taste, form an object of petty commerce between Upper and Lower Louisiana. From New Orleans they are exported to the West Indies and to the ports of the United States. They are not only better than any other species of North American Walnuts, but they appear to me to be more delicately flavored than those of Europe. And, be- sides, wild varieties of the Pecannut are found, the fruit of which is much larger than that of the European Walnut unim- proved by culture. I am of opinion, then, that this tree merits the attention both of Americans and Europeans, and that by assiduous cultivation it may be brought to a high degree of per- fection. Tiiese advantages, it is true, are balanced in part by the slowness of its growth ; there are trees in France which !idi 116 BITTERNUT HICKORY. have been planted more than thirty years, and which do not yield fruit. If the practice should be successfully adopted of grafting the Pecannut on the Black Walnut, or on the Coiftmon Walnut, its vegetation would be incomparably more rapid, and no motive should discourage its propagation in Europe. M-M^ PLATE XXXII. A leaf of half Us natural size. Fig. 1. A nul icith its hisk. Fig. 2. A nut without its husk. I'f IM BITTERNUT HICKORY. JuGLANS AMARA. J. arbor maxima, foliolis 7-9"'% glubris, conspicu^ serratis, imparl brccitcr petiolato: frudu subrotando-otoidco, supcrm suturis pro))dnulis; nuce led, subglobosd, mucronatd: putamine fragili, nucleo amaro. Carya auiara. Nutt. This species is generally known in New Jersey by the name of Bitternut Hickory ; in Pennsylvania, and particularly in the county of Lancaster, it is called White Hickory, and sometimes Swamp Hickory ; farther south, it is confounded with the Pig- nut Hickory. The French of Illinois, like the inhabitants of New Jersey, give it the name of Bitternut, which, as it indi- cates one of the peculiar properties of the fruit, I have chosen to retain. The Bitternut Hickory, I believe, is nowhere found much beyond the boundaries of Vermont, in the 45th degree of lati- tude. It is not seen in the province of Maine, where the borders of the rivei-s offer situations analogous to those in which il lilL 'i' riii i ill 1 I h :! '1 I .) ;ii' f i \ //.i;i liilll'l il M, r>illri \iil llii lv»»r\ 118 BITTERNUT HICKORY. shell is white, smooth, and thin enough to he broken by tlio fingers. The kernel is remarkable for the deep ineqnalities pi'oduced on every side by its foldings. It is so harsh and bitter that squirrels and other animals will not feed on it while any other nut is to be found. In some parts of Pennsylvania where this tree is multiplied an oil is extracted from the nuts, which is used for burning in lamps and other inferior purposes. But from these experiments, in which individuals have succeeded, it is not to be concluded that a sufficient product of this sort can be obtained to form a branch of industry; neither this nor any other species of Wal- nut is abundant enough in the United States. In the texture of its bark, and in the color of its heart and sap, the Bitternut Hickory resembles the other Hickories, and its wood possesses, though in an inferior degree, the weight, strength, tenacity, and elasticity which so plainly distinguish them. At Lancaster it is used for fuel ; but it is not considered superior to the White Oak nor sold at a higher price. The Bitternut Hickory exists and bears fruit in several gardens in France ; but it is of no value for its nuts, and flourishes only in very fertile soils. As its wood, also, is proved in America tt) be inferior to that of the following species, I think it should not De propagated in the forests of Europe. PLATE XXXIII. A leaf of the natural size. Fig. 1. A nut with its husk. Ji'ig. 2. A nut without its husk. by thfl ualitios (1 bitter lile any iltiplied 'ning in 'iments, ncludcd ) form a of Wal- »art and 'ies, and weight, tinguish nsidered gardens hes only nerica to lould not K 2. A nut ! ■!'! •inmi 'i*i'l //.;, i: I \ I I h,i':l l^ili A..... /./ \\ .ll( I IllIU I \lll llu Istll N //.;, WATER BITTERNUT HICKORY. JuGLAXS j^QiTATicA. .7. foliolis 9-ll°'», lanccolato-acuminoth, suhscrraHs, sessiUbus, impari brcritcr pdwlato: frud'ibus pedunculatis, nuce sub- depress/i, pared, ritbiffinosd, tencrd. Cifrya aquatica. Nutt No specific name has hitherto been given this species, which is confined to the Southern States ; it is confounded with the Pignut Ilickoxy, though differing from it in many respects. The name which I propose appears sufficiently appropriate; for I have always found this tree in swamps, and ditches which surround the ricefields, where it is accompanied by the Red- 'owering Maple, Tupelo, Cypress, and Carolina Poplar. The ' jr Bitternut Hickory grows to the height of forty or fifty i^L c, and in its general appearance resembles the other Hickories. Its leaves are eight or nine inches long, and of a beautiful green. They are composed of four or five pair of sessile leaflets sur- mounted Ijy a petiolated odd one. The leaflets are serrate, four or five inches long, eight or nine lines broad, and very similar to the leaves of the Peach-tree. The husk is thin, and the nuts are small, angular, a little de- prest'ed at the sides, somewhat rough, of a ivddish color, and very tender. The kernel is very bitter, formed in folds like that of the Bitternut Hickory, and, as may be su[)posed, is not eatable. The wood of this species, though partaking of the common properties of the Hickories, is in every respect inferior to the otiiers, from the nature of the grounds on which it grows. The Water Bitternut Hickory, which 1 have introduced into France, nourishes unchecked by the rigor of our winters; but 1 do not think it deserves to linil a place in tiie forests of Euro[)e, nor to Ik; spared in clearing the new lauds of America. The southern i)arts of the United States posscHS nmny sorts of timber lltt iP i III I :' i ■l\.'lil< \,i ! I 120 MOCKERNUT HICKORY. more useful in building, to wliich purpose this, like the other Hickories, is poorly adapted. PLATE XXXIV. A branch unth leaves of (he natural size. Fig. 1. Nuts with their husks. Fig. 2. Nuts without their husks. liv': MOCKERNUT HICKORY. Ju(3r.ANS TOMENTOSA. J. foliolis 7-9"'', levitcr seriYitis, conspiciiii villosis, impari sabpcliolato ; amentis compositis, longissimis, Jiliformibus, eximih tomentosis: fructu globose vel oblougo; mice quadranguld, crassa, duris- simdque. Carya toinentosa. Nutt. In the parts of New Jersey which lie on the river Hudson, and in the city of New York and its vicinity, this species is known by the name of Mockernut Hickory, and, less commonly, of White-heart Hickory; at Philadelphia and Baltimore, and in Virginia, that of Common Hickory is the only one in use. The French of Illinois call it Nogcr dur, or Hard Walnut. The first of these den(miinati(ms, which is descriptive of the fruit, I have for that reason adopted. This species is not, as the name which it Iwars in that country would indicate, more multiplied in Pennsylvania, and farther south, than the other Hickories. I have not seen it north of Portsmouth in New Hampshire; though 100 miles south, in the neighborhood of Boston and Providence, it is common. It is most abundant in the forests that still remain (m the coast of the Middle States and in those which cover the upper parts of the ('arolinas and of Georgia; but in the last-mentioned States e other r hmks. h villosis, IS, exhnik ?a, dttris- NUTT. Hudson, )ecit's is nmonly, !, and in e. The rhe first , I have country farther north of li, in the 1. It is coast of parts of d States ' III! 1 ill ill ' i ■ . I 11,1 /< I II.' /,'lll(llf''S( ' m] MOCKERNUT HICKORY. 121 it becomes move rave in appvoa?liiiig the sea, as the stevility of the soil, in geneval dry and sandy, is unpvopitious to its gvowth. I have noticed, liowever, that this is the only Hickory which springs in the pinc-barvens : the sprouts arc burnt every year, and never rise higher than three or four feet. I have made the same observation in traversing the Big Barrens of Kentucky and Tennessee, where the Mockevnut Ilickovy and Black Jack Oak alone are seen. They survive the conflagra- tions which almost every spring envelop the pvaivies; but theiv vegetation is checked by the five, and they do not exceed the height of eight or ten feet. Like most of the Walnuts, the Mockernut Hickory flourishes in rich soils, and chiefly on the gentle acclivities which suvvound the swamps, where it grows mingled with the Sweet Gum, Pop- lar, Sugar Maple, Bitternut Hickory, and Black Walnut. In these situations it reaches its greatest size, which is commonly about sixty feet in height and eighteen or twenty inches in dia- meter. I remember to have seen larger Mockernut Hickories near Lexington in Kentucky; but this extraordinary growth iii several species of trees is rarely seen on iliis side of the Alle- ghany, and is attributable to the extreme fertility of the soil in the Western country. Of all the Hickories, however, the M; ckernut succeeds best on lands of a middling rpiality; for it forms a part of the waste and impoverish(!d forests which cover the meager, sandy soil of Lower Virginia, though under these disadvantages it exhibits but a mean and stunted appearance. The buds of this species are large, short, of a grayish white, and very hard : in the winter, after the falling of the leaf, they afl'ovd the only characteristic by which the tree can be distin- guished when it exceeds eight or ten feet in height. In the beginning of May the buds swell, the external scales fall off, and the inner ones soon after burst and display the young leaf. The leaves gvow so vapidly that I have seen them gain twenty inches in eighteen days. They are composed of four pair of r.— 8* it 122 M C K E 11 N U T II I C K R Y. I, ■! i I: f!i 'I !; '■ h !.ti I sessile leaflets and terminated hy an odd one. The leaflets are large, oval-acuminate, slightly serrate, odorous, pretty thick, and hairy underneath, as is also the connnon petiole to which they are attached. With the first frost the leaves change to a beau- tiful yellow, and fall soon after. The male flowers appear on pendulous, downy, axillary aments, six or eight inches long; the female flowers, Avhicli are not vei'y conspicuous, are of a i)ale rose-color and are situated at the extremity of the young shoots. The fruit is ripe about the 15th of November. It is odorous, sessile or rarely pedunculated, and commonly united in pairs. In form and size it exhibits remai'kable varieties : on some trees it is round, with depressed seams, on others oblong, with angu- lar or prominent seams ; it is sometimes two inches long and twelve or fifteen lines in diameter, and sometimes of less than half this size. It differs also in weight as well as in configura- tion and volume, varying from one drachm to four. The largest nuts might be confounded with those of the Thick Shellbark Hickory, and the snudlest with those of the Pignut Hickory : I have selected for the di'awing a nut of the most common size. The shell is very thick, somewhat channelled, and extremely hard. The kernel is sweet, but minute, and difficult to extract, on account of the strong partitions which divide it : hence, probably, is dei'ived the name of Mockernut, and hence, also, this fruit is rarely seen in the markets. The trunk of the old Mockernut Hickory is covered with a thick, hard, and rugged bark. Its wood is of the same color and texture with the other Hickories, and characterized by the qualities which render this class of trees so remarkable. It is particularly esteemed for fuel, for which use trees of six or eight inches in diameter are preferred. At this stage of its growth, while the heart, the proper color of which is reddish, is not yet developed, it frequently goes by the name of White- heart Hickory. In the country a greenish color is sometimes extracted from the bark ; but it is not extensively in use. vilets are liick, and licli tliey a beau- ippear on lies long; ! of a pale ng shoots. s odorous, . in pairs, some trees vitli angu- 1 long and ■ less than configura- bur. The the Thick the Pignut if the most channelled, linute, and ■ions which Mockernut, ets. ered with a same color irized by the kable. It is es of six or stage of its is reddish, is le of White- is sometimes in use. IH I I i I': i i rll r,.:-,:, ././' Shell h.irk llukon /VM> I i m jillll i:,:'.r,.!-' S H E L L B A R K HICKORY. 128 Of all the Hickories this species is of the slowest growth, — a fact which I have proved by planting nuts of the several species and by comparing the length of their annual shoots. I have also been led to believe that it is the most liable to be attacked by worms, and especially by the Callidlum Jlexuosum, whose larva eats within the body of the tree. These considera- tions appear sulHciontly weighty to induce cultivators, in form- ing large plantations, to prefer some of the species which are described in the sequel. i'LATE XXXV. A leaf of the third of its natural size. Fii/. 1. A nut with its husk. Fig. 2. A nut icithout its husk. Fig. 3. Callidium jlexuosum. SHELLBAKK HICKORY. JuGi.AXS SQUAMOSA. J. foliolis (juiiiis, viojoribus, hmg^. lutiolatis, ovatO' acuminatis, scrratis, subtks villosi.'^, inipari scssili; amcntis masculis, cotnpusitis, (/labris, Jilij'onnilius : fruclu globoso, ilq)rcsso, majorc; vuce vomprcssd alba. Ciirya albii. Nltt. The singular lisposition of the bark in this species has given rise to the descriptive names of Shellbark, Shagbark, and Scaly- bark Hickorv, the first of vvhich, as being most generally in use in the Middle and Southern States, 1 have adopted. Many descendants of the Dutch settU-rs, wiio inhabit the parts of New Jersey near the city of New York, call it KMct/ T/ioma^ nui, and the Fi-ench of Illinois know it by the name of Noi/vr hmh'c, or Soft Walnut. Beyond Portsmouth, in New Hampshire, 1 have not observed i; ill III , i V2i S II E L L B A R K II I C K R Y. m • the Slicllbark Hickory; and even there, its vegetation being impeded by the rigor of the climate, its statnre is h>\v and its fruit small. I have not found it in the forests of the district of Maine,''' nor in those of Vermont, situated a little higher toward the north. It abounds on the shores of Lake Erie, about Gene\a in Genesee, along the river Mohawk, in the neighbor- hood of Closhen in New Jersev, and on the banks of the rivers Susquehanna and Schuylkill in Pennsylvania. In Maryland, in the lower parts of Virginia, and in the other Southern States, it is less connnon. In South Carolina I have not noticed it nearer Charleston than the parish of Goose Creek, about twenty- four miles distant. It is met witli in the Western States, but not as frequently as the following species, — the Thick Shellbark Hickory, to wiiich it bears a striking analogy, and with which it is confounded by the inhabitants. East of the Aileghanies the Shellbark Hickory grows almost exclusively aliout swamps and wet grounds, which are exposed to be inundated for several Aveeks together: in these situations it is found in company with the Swamp White Oak, Ked-llowering Maple, Sweet Gum, But- tonvvood, and Tupelo. Of all the Hickories this species grows to the greatest height with proportionally the smallest diameter, for it is sometimes seen eighty or ninety feet high and less than two feet thick. The trunk is destitutes of branches, regularly sha])('(l, and of an almost iniilbrm size for three-cpiarters of its length, thus foruiiug a very due tree. Tiie greatest peculiarity in its a])pearauiM'. and that by which it is most easily distiii- •ruished, is tl: siM'face of tiie trunk. The exterior l);irk is divided i lo a great number of long, narrow ])lates, which bend outward at the emls and adhere oidy in the middle. Bristling in this manner with ])rojecting jioints. the Shellbark Hickory attracts the attention of the most careless observer. This remarkable exfoliation of the epiilermis takes place only [Till! Slu'llli.irk Ifiiknry is f'ounil in the I'ounly of Vurk, in Miiiiio. Hmkuson.] SIIELLBARK HICKORY. 125 in trees wlik-u (xceed ten iiielies in diameter, thougli it is much earlier indieat^d by seams. This eharacteristie, by which the tree may be recognised in Avinler when stripped of its leaves, does not exist during the seven or eight first years of its growth ; and during this period it may easily Ijo confounded with the Mockernut Hickory and Pignut Hickory, if recourse is not had to the buds. In these two species, and generally in all trees, the buds are formed of scales closely applied one upon another; in the species which wo are considering, the two external scales adhere for only half the length of the bud and leave the upper part uncovered. It is my opinicm that in this disposition of the scales, which is peculiar to this and the following species, should be sought the origin of the exfoliation of the bark. When the sap begins to ascend in the spring, the outer scales fall, and the iimer ones swell and bec(mic covered with a yellowish silky down: after a fortnight, the Ijuds, which are already two inches long, open and give birth to the young leaves. The growth of the leaves are so rapid, that in a month they attain their full length, which on young and vigorous trees is sometimes twenty inches. They consist of two pair of leaflets with a sessile odd one. The leallets are very large, oval-acuminate, serrate, and slightly downy underneath. The male llowers, which in the State of New York appear from the 15th to the 2()th of May, lire disposed, as in the pr"cediiig si)ecies, on long, glabrous, lili- forin, pendulous aments, of which three are united on a common pedimde, attached at the base of the young shoots; the female llowers, of a greenish line, and scarcely ajjparent, are situated at the extremity. The fruit of tiie Shellbark Hickory is ripe alxiut the beginning of October. Some years it is so abundant that several bushels nuiy be gathered from a single tree. It varies in size, accoi'ding to the soil and the exposure in which it is produced; but five and a half inches nuiy be assiuneil as the average of its circiniderence. The siiape is uniforndy round, with four depressed seams, in which liie husk opeurf at M Will! IS' i 12(3 S II E L L B A R K HICKORY. !|i I t the .seiisou of perfect maturity, dividing itself completely into ecpiiil isectiuiis. The entire .separation of the husk, and its thickness disproportioned to the size of the nut, form a cha- racter peculiar to the Shellbark Hickories. The nuts of this species are small, white, compressed at the sides, and marked by four distinct angles, which correspond to the divisions of the husk. The Shellbark nut contains a fuller and sweeter kernel than any American Walnut except the Pecannut. The shell, though thin, must be cracked before being brought upon the table, as it is too hard to be crushed in the fingeis like the European Wal- nut, which is certainly a superior fruit. These nuts are in such rc(pKvst that they form a snuill article of connnerce, I'ogistered on the list of exports of the products of the United States. This exportation, which does not exceed four or live hundred bushels anniudh-, takes place from New York, and fnmi the small ports of Connecticut, to the Southern States, to the West India Islands, and even to Liverpool, where the fruit is known by the name of IIick(jry nuts. In the market of New Yoi'k they are sold at two dollars a bushel. They are gathered in the foi'ests, and from insulated trees which in some places have been spared in clearing the lands, — a precaution which I have particularly noticed to have been used near Goshen in New Jersey, and on several estates about thirty miles beyond Albany. Tlie Indians who inhabit the shores of Lakes Erie and Michi- gan lay up a store of these nuts lor the winter, a part of which tl>i'y pound in wooden mortars, and, boiling the paste in water, collect the oily matter which swims upon the surface, to season their food. IJefore speaking of the properties of the wood, I onnnot for- bear mentioning a fine variety of Shellbark nuts produced upon a farm at Seacocus, near Snakchill in New .lersey. They are nearly twice as hirge as any that I have seen elsewhere, and have a white shell with rounded })rominence8 instead of angles. S II E L L R A R K II I C K II Y. 127 A century of cultivation, perhaps, would not advance the spe- cies generally to an ecpial degree of perfection, and prohahly this variety might still be improved by grafting. The wood of tlie Shell1)ark Hickory possesses all the charac- teristic properties of the Hickories, being strong, elastic, and tenacious. It has also their common defects of soon decaying and of being eaten by worms. As this tree sti'etches up to a great height with nearly a uniform diameter, it is sometimes employed at New York and Philadelphia for the keels of vessels ; but it is now seldom used for this purpose, most of the largo trees near the seaports being already consumed. Its wood is found to split most easily and to be the most elastic ; for this reason it is used for making baskets, and also for whip-handles, which are esteemed for their suppleness, and of which several cases are annually exported to England. For the same excel- lence, and for the superior fineness of its grain, it is selected in the neighborhood of New York and Philadeli)hia for the back- ])ows of Windsor chairs, which are wholly of wood. I have fre(pu'ntly observed, tliat among th( Hickory wood brought to New York for fuel, this species predominated. Such are the uses to which the Shellbark Hickory appears peculiarly adapted. It has JM'fore been seen to ])e a tree of lofty stature and majestic appearance : I slK)uld therefore reconnnend its introduction into the European forests, Avheie it should ho, consigned to cool and humid places, congenial with those in which it flourishes in Anu'rica. In the north of Europe it could not fail of succeeding, as it securely braves the most in- tense cold. PLATE XXXVI. Fiff. 1. A nut with ils husk. F!(j. 2. A scdlon of the hush. Fig. 3. A nw without its husk. Fig. 4. A (ntrnii (itiunt dicidcd into three jwrts. '■•I: .i jjliiliil I'll THICK SHELLBARK HICKORY. : ' ^ f i! j'i .\\' \ . I y JuGLANS LAciNiosA.. .7. follts VHijorihiis, foUolis 7-9"'", ovato-acuminatis, scrralis, !^iiJit(>i)iiiilof? a striking analogy to the preceding, and is fre(inently confoinided with it by the inhabitants of the Western country : «Mne of them distinguish it by the name of Thick Shellbark Hickory, which should be preserved as its appropriate denomination. East of the AUeghanies, this tree is rare and is found only in a few places; it grows on the Schuylkill River thirty or forty miles from its junction with the Delaware, and in the vicinity of Springfield, fifteen or twenty miles from Phi- ladelphia, where its fruit is called Springfield nut. It is also found in Gloucester county, in Virginia, under the name of Gloucester Walnut. These dillerent denominations confirm my observation that this species is little multiplied on the eastern side of the Alleghany Mountains, — a fact of which I became assured in travelhng through the country. Tt abounds, on the other liand, in the l)ottoms Avhich skirt the Ohio and the rivers which empty into it, where it unites witli the IToney Locust, Black Maple, Hackberry, Black Walnut, Wild Cherry, White and Red Elm, Box Elder, White ^Fajjlc, and Buttcmwood, to form the thick and gloomy forests which cover these valleys. Like tlie Shellbark Hickory, it grows to the heiglit of eighty feet, and its am))l<' head is supported liy a straight trunk, in diameter proportioned to its elevation. The bark exhibits the name singular arrangement with that of the Shellbark Hickory: it is divided into strips from one to (hree feet long, whicii are warped outward at the end and attaclied only at the middle. They fall, and are succeeded by others similarly disjjosed. It acuminads, raio; mice 1. NUTT. ng, and is i Western of Thick ppropviate arc and is Ikill River lAvare, and from Phi- It is also ! name of on firm my the eastern . I became [ids, on the I the rivers ley Locust, rry, White onwood, to i-se valleys. X o( eighty it trunk, in 'xhihits the •k Hickory: ;. which are the middle, is posed. It 1 I . l/'.:..,.// rilick Slu-ll l-.uk III. LoiA Till C K SHELL B A R K II I C K R Y. 120 is only observable that in this species the plates are naiTower, more niunerous, and of a lighter color; from which difTerencea T have thought proper to give it the specific name o^ Jac'unosa. The outer scales of the buds do not adhere entirely to the inner ones, but retire as in the Shellbark Hickory. The leaves also, which vary in length from eight to twenty inches, observe the same process in unfolding, and are similar in size, configuration, and texture ; l)ut they differ in being composed of seven leaflets and sometimes of nin(>, instead of five, the invariable number of the Shellbark Hickory. The male amcnts arc disposed in the same form, though they are, perhaps, a little longer than in the other sjiocies. The female flowers appear, not very conspi- cuously, at the extremity of the shoots of the same spring. They arc succeeded by a large oval fruit, more than two inches long and four or five inches in circumference. Like that of the Shellbark Hickory, it has four depi'essed seams, which, at its complete maturity, open through their whole length for the escape of the nut. The nut of this species is widel}' difterent from the other ; it is nearly twice as big, longer than it is broad, and terminated at each end in a firm point. The shell is also thicker and of a yellowish hue, while that of the Shellbark nut is white. From the color of its nut, the Shellbark Hickory received the specific name of alha, which I have changed, as it indicates a character possessed by it in common with another species found in the Royal Gardens of the Petit Trianon. This species, originally from North America, belongs to the Scalybark Hicko- ries. The nuts are white, and the entire fruit, though a little inferior in size, resembles that of the proper Shellbark Hickory. By its foliage it is related to the Thick Shellbark Hickory^ each leaf being composed of four pair of leaflets with an odd one. The specific name of amhiyua might with propriety be given to it. The nuts of the Thick Shellbark Hickory are brought every Vol. I.— '.t 130 THICK S II E L L li A R K II I C K i: Y 11 i'li ''F'.; iM :i .!' I I'iilli autumn to the market of riiiladolpliia, but the quantity d-^'oa not oxceotl a few bushels, and tliey are generally sold mixed with those of the Mockernut Hickory, which resemble some varieties of this S])ecies. The Gloucester Hickory I consider only as a variety of the Thick Siiellbark Hickory, to which it bears the strongest resemblance in its young shoots, in the num- ber of its leaflets, and in its barren aments. The only essential diflerence is in the nuts; (hose of the Gloucester Walnut arc a third larger, Avith the shell one-half thicker, and so hard that it requires pretty heavy ])lo\vs of a hammer to crack them. In color they resemble the nuts of the Mockernut Hickory, with the finest varieties of which they might, from this circumstance, be confounded. The Thick 8hell])ark Hickory, as has been said, is nearly related to the Shellbark Hickory; and its wood, which is of the same color and texture, unites the peculiar qualities of that species with such as are connuou to the Hickories. Its fruit, though larger, is inferior in taste; and this consideration should induce proprietors in the Western country, in clearing their new lands, to spai'e the true Shellbark Hickory in preference when both species are found upon the same soil. For the same reason, and for its favorajjle growth in less fertile gi'ounds, and even in elevated situations, — a fact which I have observed neiir Browns- ville on the Monongahela River, — the same preference should, I think, be given to it in the forests of Europe. In the description of the Scaly bark Hickories, it has been s<.'en that they exhibit many striking traits of resemblance, which may warrant the grouping of them into a secondary section. Besides their generic and specific characters, they possess others peculiar to themselves, by which they ai'e so nearly related that, were it not for some remarkable differences, tiiey might be treated as a single species. The general characters of the Hickories are, three-clefted, pliable, and pendulous male aments, and certain common properties of the wood. To these are T II I C K S II E L L B A R K II I C K R Y. 131 added, in the Sciilj llickovios, a very thick linsk, coA'oring the nut completely, and divided into four parts when ripe; a shaggy bark on the trunk, indicated, in my opinion, by the external scales of the buds not adhering to those beneath; and leaves composed of very large leaflets of a uniform shape and texture. In comparing the three species with each other, essential difier- ences ai'e observed. The Shellljark Hickory, for instance, and the Jatjlans amhi of onc'th'n'd nf thc%atiiral size. Fig. 1. A mit irith its hush; {•''hlong varicti/.) Fi;]. 2. A nut icilhout its has/:. Fig. 3. A nut with its hus/i, {round variety.) Fig. 4. A nut without its husk. m^M y roiuul. le tliuinl) 3Ugh tlli;v Nut . 1 I'f.:i„. fl,:vii, . ill//' ' 1^ ! m I ) ml NUTMEG HICKORY. JuoLANs MYiasTic.T5F0R.Mis. J, fol'ds quitiis, foUolis ocato-acumincdis, ser- ratis, fftahris: fruclu ovato, scabriusculo ; mice m'mirnd, durissbnd. Carya niyristicKformis. NuTT. No specific denomination has liltlierto been given to this species by the inhabitants of the Middle States, to wliich it is peculiar : that of Nutmeg Iiic' which I have formed, appears sulliciently appropriate, iiuui the resemblance of its nuts to a nutmeg. I have not myself found this tree in the forests, and hence I conclude that it is not common. It is true I had not, at the period of my residence in that part of the United States, con- ceived the design of the present work, and did not devote my- self entirely to the researches which have since given birth to it. I am acquainted with the Nutmeg Hickory only by a branch and a handful of nuts given me at Charleston, in the fall of 1802, by the gardener of Mr. II. Izard, wliich he had gathered in a swamp on his master's plantation of the Elms, in the ])arisli of Goose Creek. From this specimen alone I have included the tree among the Hickories. The leaves, which are composed of four or six leaflets with an odd one, are symmetrically arranged. I remarked also that the shoots of the preceding year were flexijjle and coriaceous. The nuts are very small, smooth, and of a brown color, marked with lines of white ; the husk is thin, and somewhat rough on the surface. The shell is so thick that it constitutes two-thirds of the volume of the nut, which, consequently, is extremely hard and has a minute kernel. The fruit is inferior even to the Pignut. I suspi'ct that the Nutmeg Hickory is more common in Lower i;i5 IMAGE EVALUATION TEST TARGET (MT-3) 4/ 1.0 I.I Lain 12.5 ■so ■^" ^m ■ 2.2 US |40 M2.0 1.25 III 1.4 1 1.6 ^= llll^ isi .« 6" » i^ ^ ^^A ^^ V '/ Fhotogra^M] Sciences Corporation 4^ <^\ V ;\ ^^ V <^ 33 WUT MAIN STRUT WIMTM.N.Y. MSM (7U) trausos o^ 136 RECAPITULATION. *l ^H- V 'V. Louisiana :'=' it belongs to inquirers who engage in researches analogous to those which I have pursued in the Atlantic and Western States, to study this tree more fully than I have been able to do, and to complete the imperfect description which I have given of it. PLATE XXXIX. A branch and nut^ with their husks. Fig. 1. A nut without its husk. RECAPITULATION PROPERTIES AND USES HICKORY WOOD. In the summary introduction to the History of the Walnuts • of North America, it was remarked, that those of the second section, or the Hickories, exhibit great variations in the size and shape of their fruit, in the ninnlier of leaflets which compose their leaves, and in their general appearance, from the ell'ect of soils of different degrees of moistinv. Hence result, in many cases, mutual resemblance so striking, that a person not familiar with this class of trees might easily confound distinct species, or * In the iiitt'R'stiiii; work of Mr. W. Darby on Ldui.siiinii, ])ublislif(l at I'liilu- dflpliia in 1S17, tlu! Niitnic^ llk-kory is said to abound on tlie wator.s of Red Kiver in llie MiNKiN! vivid red aple grows t is plainly s made by the South Sea, I saw specimens of a beautiful Maple from the banks of Columbia River. From this brief summary it results that the North American species are more numerous than those of Europe. The wood of the Maples differs so widely in quality in different species, that it becomes difficult to characterize it by genei'al observa- tions : it may be remarked, that it speedily ferments and decays when exposed to the weather, that it is liable to be injured by v.">rms, and that hence it is unfit for building. It possesses pro- perties, however, which compensate in part for these defects, and which render it useful in the arts and in domestic economy. For more particular information I must refer the reader to the descriptions of the respective species. \_Pt'opagatlon and culture. The Acerdccce prefer a free, deep, loamy soil, rich rather than sterile, and neither wet nor very dry. The situation that suits them best is one that is sheltered, and shady rather than exposed. They arc seldom found on the north sides of lofty mountains, or on mountains at all, except among other trees; but in the plains they are found by them- selves. Though the species only attain perfection in favorable soils and situations, they will spring up and live in any situation whatever. They are chiel'/ propagated from seeds; but some sorts are increased by layers, cuttings of the shoots or roots, or by budding or grafting. The seeds of most of the species ripen in October, and may be gathered by hand, or shaken from the tree, when the keys begin to turn brown. The maturity of the seed may be proved by opening the key and observing if the cotyledons are green, succulent, and fresh; if the green colpr is wanting, the seeds are good for nothing. The seeds may be sown either in autumn or in spring; the latter is preferable where moles abound, as they are very fond of the seeds. Sown in spring, they come up in five or six weeks, with the exception of Acer lli i ' t 144 MAPLES. •in campedre, which never grow till the second or third year. The seeds should not be covered with more than from a quarter to half an inch of soil. The surface of the ground in which they are sown may be advantageously shaded with leaves, fronds of firs, or straw. The Acer argenteum, or Silvery-leaved, and Acer nibrum, or Scarlet Maple, perfect their seeds in May ; and these should be sown immediately after having been collected : they will vege- tate directly, and produce fine plants the first season, if kept free from weeds. The seeds of the former do not keep well till spring.] * * [For a large additional list of Maples, see Nuttall's Supplement, vol. ii. p. 24 et seq. Many of these are deserving of the attention of our planters; especially the large-leaved Maple, sometimes ninety feet high, with leaves nearly a foot in diameter, aflFording an impervious and complete shade. See also Emerson's " Trees and Shrubs of Massachusetts," p. 481.] .}■'■: II METHODICAL DISPOSITION OF THE MAPLES or NORTH AMERICA, INCI.UDl.VQ TWO EUROPEAN SPECIES. Polyandria dioecia, Linn. Acera, Juss. First Section. Sessile fowcrs. {Fructification vernal.) 1. White Maple Acer erwcarpum. 2. Eed-flowering Maple .... Acer riihrum. Second Section. Pedunculated flowers. {Fructification autumnal.) 3. Sugar Maple Acer saccharinum. 4. Black Sugar Maple .... Acer nigrum. 5. Norway MaiDle Acer platartoicles. 0. Sycamore Acer pseiido-platanua. 7. Moose Wood Acer striatum. 8. Box Elder Acer negundo. 9. Mountain Maple Acer montantum. Vo,.. i.-io 145 m WHITE MAPLE. I I I i! ; l-l ' Acer ekiocarpum. A. foliis oppositls, qidnquelobis, i^rofandb sumatis, inaqualiicr dcntatls, subtus candidissimis : jlorlbas pcntandris, apeialia. Acer dasycarpuiii. Ehrenberq. In the Atlantic parts of the United States, this species is often confounded with the Red Maple, which it nearly resem- bles; west of the mountains, they are constantly distinguished, and the Acer eriocarjjum is known by no other name than White Maple. The banks of Sandy River in the district of Maine, and those of the Connecticut near Windsor in Vermont, are the most northern points at which I have seen the White Maple. But, like many other vegetables, it is pinched by the rigorous win- ters of this latitude, and never reaches the size which it attains a few degrees farther south. It is found on the banks of all the rivers Avhich flow from the mountains to the ocean, though it is less common along the streams which water the southern pafts of the Carolinas and of Georgia. In no part of the United States is it more multiplied than in the Western country, and nowhere is its vegetation more luxuriant than on the banks of the Ohio and of the great rivers which emp^y into it. There, sometimes alone, and sometimes mingled with the Willow, which is found along all these waters, it contributes singularly by its magnificent foliage to the embellishment of the scene. The brilliant white of the leaves beneath forms a striking con- trast with the bright green above; and the alternate reflection of the two surfaces in the water heightens the beauty of this wonderful moving mirror, and aids in forming an enchanting picture, which, during my long excursions in a canoe in these 140 nd& sinuaiis, f, apdalis. HRENBERQ. species is irly resem- tinguislietl, tlian Wliite !, and those Q the most aple. But, gorous win- !h it attains is of all the though it is itliern paj'ts the United :ountry, and he banks of ( it. There, the Willow, !S singularly f the scone, striking con- ite reflection aauty of this I enchanting noe in these I=.!i ifi!is: I K ■ : 'r 'I 4 I ! A,. .„ ,/,/ While MipK , Ifif ii (i'i iiri'iuii 1 1j II W II I T E M A P L E. 147 regions of solituile and silence, I contemplated with unwearied admiration. Beginning at Pittsburg, and even some miles above the junction of the rivers Alleghany and Monongahela, White Maples twelve or fifteen feet in circumference are continually met with at short distances. The trunk of this tree is low, and divides into a great nuiuljer of limbs, so divergent that they form a head more spacious than that of any other tree with which I am acquainted. It is worthy of remarlc, that the White Maple is found on the banlis of such rivers only as have limpid waters and a gravelly bed, and never in swamps and otlier wet grounds enclosed in forests, where the soil is black and miry. These situations, on the con- trary, are so well adapted to the Red Maple that they arc fre- quently occupied by it exclusively. Hence the last-mentioned species is common in the lower parts of the Carolinas and of Georgia, wdiero the White Maple is no longer seen; for as soon as the rivers, in descending from the mountains toward the ocean, reach the low country, they begin to be bordered by miry swamps covered with the Cypress, Blackgum, Largo Tupelo, etc. The White Maple blooms early in the spring : its flowers are small and sessile, with a downy omrtitm. The fruit is larger thiin that of any other species which grows east of the Missis- sippi. It consists of two capsules joined at the base, each of which encloses one roundish seed, and is terminated by a largo membranaceous, falciform wing. In Pennsylvania, it is ripe about the 1st of May, and a month earlier on the Savannah Kiver In Georgia. At this period, the leaves which have attained half their size are very downy underneath ; a month later, when fully grown, tliey are jjcrfectly smooth. They' are opposite and supi)orted by long petioles; they are divided l)y deep sinuses into four lobes, are toothed on the edges, of a blight green on tlie upper surface, and of a lu'autlful white 148 WHITE MAPLE. 'W- :ll if . beneath. The foliage, however, is scattered, and leaves an open passage to the sunbeams. The wooc^i of this Maple is very white, and of a fine grain ; but it is softer and lighter than that of the other species in the United States, and, from its want of strength and durability, it is little used. Wooden bowls are sometimes made of it when Poplar cannot be procured. At Pittsburg, and in the neighbor- ing towns, it serves in cabinet-making, instead of Holly, for inlaying furnitui'e of Mahogany, Cherry-tree, and Walnut: though, as it soon changes color, it is less fitted for this purpose. The hatters of Pittsbui-g prefer the charcoal of this wood to every other for heating their Ijoilor, as it affords a heat more uniform and of longer continuance. Some of the inhabitants on the Ohio make sugar of its sap, by the same process which is employed with the Sugar Maple. Like the Red Maple, it yields but half the product from a given measure of sap ; but the unrefined sugar is whiter and more agreeable to the taste than that of the Sugar Maple. The sap is in motion earlier in tMs specie.^ than in the Sugar Maple, beginning to ascend about i Lie loth of January; so that the work of extrneting the sugar IS sooner completed. The cellular tissue rapidly produces a black precipitate with sulphate of iron. In all parts of the United States where this tree abounds, many others are found of superior value. Its secondary con- sequence is evinced by the unimportant uses to which it is devoted. In Europe, the White Maple is uniltiplied in nurseries and gardens. Its rapid growth aflbrds hopes of cultivating it with profit in this quarter of the world, which is less ridi in the diversity of its species. In forming plantations, more care than liaa hitherto been taken should Ik* paid to the choice of the ground, which should he constantly moist, or exposed to annual inundations: in such situations its vegetation would be sur prisingly beautiful an'l rapid. es an open fine grain; 2cies in the urability, it of it when e neighbor- Holly, for A Wahiut: his purpose, liis wood to I heat more inhabitants rocess which 2d Maple, it of sap; but to the taste on earlier in ascend about ng the sugar r produces a tree abounds, icondary con- ) which it is nurseries and vating it with ■{l' SUGAR MAPLE. 153 that it is necessary in tlio United States, as in Europe, to renew the forests, or to preserve those which have escaped destruction, the American forester will find among the Oaks, the Walnuts, and the Ashes, many species more d.'serving of his care. The Sugar Maple also will be pi-eferred, Avhich grows on uplands, and possesses in a superior degree all the good properties of the other. From these considerations, the Ked-flowcring Maple ap- pears to have no pretensions to a place in European forests.* PLATE XLI. A branch with leaves of the natural size. Fig. 1. Barren flowers. Fig. 2. Fertile flowers. Fig. 3. &■«/« of the natural size. SUGAR MAPLE. Acer SACcnARiNUM. A. foliis quinquc ixirtito-palmatis, glubris, viargine integris, sublus glaueis ; floribus jmlunculatis, pemkntibus. This species, the most interesting of the American Maples, is called Rock Maple, Hard iMaple, and Sugar Ma[)le. The first of these names is most generally in use; but I have i)reserved the last, because it indicates one of the most valuable properties of the tree. According to my father's researches into the to])()graphy of American vegetables, the Sugar Majde begins a little n(trth of Lake St. John in Canada, near the 4Sth degree of latitude, which, in the rigor of its winter, corresponds to the OStli degree * [Spp Emorson'« "Troos nnd SlmiKs of Mussiiclinfiotts" for somo nilditionnl piirticulurs, niul for reiiKiikx on tlic inituiniiiil color of loaves, in wliii'li it is lutHortcl tlmt frost lias very little influence o.i tliciu] 1.— 10* l.",4 SUGAR MAPLE. '.I ',li' in Europe. It is nowhere more abundant than between the iCth and 43d degrees, which comprise Canada, New Brunswick, Nova Scotia, the States of Vermont and New Hampshire, and the district of Maine; in these regions it enters hxrgely into the composition of the forests with which they are still covered. Farther south, it is common only in Genesee in the State of New York, and in the upper parts of Pennsylvania. It is esti- mated by Dr. Rush, that, in the northern parts of these two States, there are ten million of acres which produce these trees in the proportion of thirty to an acre. Indeed, I have noticed, in traversing these districts, large masses of woods formed of them almost exclusively. In Genesee, however, a great part of the Maples behmg to a species whicli I shall describe, which has hitherto been confounded by botanists with the Sugar Majjle. In the lower parts of Virginia, of the Carolinas, and of Georgia, and likewise in the Mississippi Territory, this tree is unknown or very rare. It is rapidl}' disappearing from the forests about New York and Philadelphia, wlu're it is no longer drained for sugar, but is felled for fuel and other purposes. Between the parallels mentioned as bounding the tracts where this tree is most abundant, the forests do not resemble those of a more southern latitude: they are composed of two different descriptions of trees divided into two great classes, which alter- nately occupy the soil, and which exist in nearly equal propor- tions. The first class comprises the resinous trees, such as Pines and Spruces, and covers the low grounds and the liottoms of the valleys; these forests arc called lihtch-vond laxds. The second class consists of leafy trees, such as the Sugar Maple, the White and the Red Beech, the Birches and the Ashes, of which the Sugar Maple is most nudtiplied. They grow on level grounds or on gentle declivities i»ud form what are denominated Ilanl- vrxid Unifh. In proceeding from the 40th degree of latitude northward, the trees of the second class are observed to become more rare, and the resinous treeH in the Hamo ])roportion more SUGAR MAPLE. 155 ecn the inswick, lire, and into the covovod. State of t is esti- lese two ese trees ! noticed, jrmed of it part of vhich hah Maple. 3, and of lis tree is from the no longer 3ses. nets where e those of different hicli alter- lal propt)r- •li as Pines onis of the 'lie second the White which the t'l {•rounds jited Iliinl- i>i" latitude to lu'conie >rtion more abundant: below the 43d degree, on the other hand, the resinous trees are found less common, and the others lose their })redo- minance in the forests, as they become mingled with the nume- rous species of Oaks and Walnuts. The Sugar Maple covers a greater extent of the American soil than any other species of this genus. It flourishes most in mountainous places, where the soil, though fertile, is cold and humid. Besides the parts which I have particularly mentioned, where the face of the country is generally of this nature, it is found along the whole chain of the AUeghanies to their termina- tion in Georgia, and on the steep and shady banks of the rivers which rise in these mountains. The Sugar Maple reaches the height of seventy or eighty feet, with a proportional diameter; but it does not commonly exceed fifty or sixty feet, with a diameter of twelve or eighteen inches. Well-grown, thriving trees are beautiful in their appearance, and easily distinguishaljle by the whiteness of their bark. The leaves are about five inches broad; but they vary in length according to the age and vigor of the tree. They are opposite, attached by long petioles, palmated and unecpially divided into five lobes, entire at the edges, of a bright green above and glaucous or whitish underneath. In autumn, they turn iH?ddish with the first frosts. Except in the color of tiie lower surface, they nearly resemlile the Norway Maple. The flowers are small, yellowish, and suspended by slendei', drooping ])eduncles. The seed is contained in two capsules united at the })ase and terminated by a membranous wing. It is rijie near New York in the beginning of October, though the cajisules attain their full size six weeks 'jirlier. Externnlly, they apjieai equally perfect, but I have constantly found one of them I'mpty. The fruit is matured only once in two or three years. The wood, when cut, is white; but, after being wrought and exposed for some time to the light, it takes a rosy tinge. Its grain is fine and close, and when polished it has a silken lustre. / t III ''(!*'• I m ! 1 • i i|«l 156 SUGAR MAPLE. It is very strong and sufficiently heavy, but wants the property of durability, for which the Chestnut and the Oak are so highly esteemed. When exposed to moisture it soon decays, and for this reason it is neglected in civil and naval architecture. In Vermont, New Hampshire, the district of Maine, and farther north, where the Oak is not plentiful, this timber is substituted for it in preference to the Beech, the Birch, and the Elm. When perfectly seasoned, (which requires two or three years,) it is used by wheelwrights for axle-trees and spokes, and for lining the runners of common sleds. It is also employed, as well as the Red-flowering Maple, in the manufacture of Windsor chairs. In the country, where the houses are wholly of wood. Sugar Maple timber is admitted into the frame ; and in the dis- trict of Maine it is preferred to the Beech for the keels of vessels, as it furnishes longer pieces : with the Beech and the Yellow Pine, it forms also the lower frame, which is always in the water. This wood exhibits two accidental forms in the arrangement of the fibre, of which cabinetrmakers take advantage for obtain- ing beautiful articles of furniture. The first consists in undu- lations like those of the Curled Maple ; the secmd, which takes place in old trees Avliich are still sound, and which appears to arise from an inflexion of the fibre from the circumference toward the centre, produces spots of luOf a line in diameter, sometimes contiguous, and sometimes several lines apart. The more numerous the spots, the more beautiful and the more esteemed is the wood: this variety is called Bird's-eye Maple. Like the Curled Maple, it is used for inlaying Mahogany. Bed- steads are made of it, and portal)le writing-desks, which are elegant and highly jtrized. To obtain the finest effect, the log should be sawn in a direction as nearly as possible parallel to the concentric c" "Ir ,. When cut at the proper seascm, the Sugar Majde fomis excel- lent fuel. It is exported from the district of Maine for the c»»nsum])ti(m of Bosh)ii, and is (Mjually esteemed with the SUGAR MAPLE. 15( )roperty ) higlily and for Are. In iarther Dstituted he Elm. 3 years,) and for loyed, as Windsor of wood, 11 the dis- 3f vessels, How Pine, tvater. •angement :or obtain- 5 in undu- liich takes appears to umferencc diameter, hart. The the more 'ye Maple, any. Bod- whieh are ect, the log parallel to bnns excel- ine for the 1 with the Hickory. The opinion entertained of it in this respect, in the north of America, accords with the interesting experiments of Mr. llartig on the comparative heat afCorded by difl'erent species of European wood, from which it results that the Sycamore {Acer ])scudo-i)Jat(mm) is superior to every other. The ashes of the Sugar Maple are rich in the alkaline priu- ciple; and it may be confidently asserted that they furnish four- fifths of the potash exported to Europe from Boston and New York. In the forges of Vermont and the district of Maine, the charcoal of this wood is preferred to any other, and it is said to be one-fifth heavier than the coal made from the same species in the Middle and Southern States, — a fact which sufficiently evinces that this Maple acquires its characteristic properties iu perfection only in northern climates. The wood of the Sugar Maple is easily distinguished from that of the Red-flowering Maple, which it resembles in appearance, by its weight and hardness. There is, besides, a very simple and certain test : a few drops of sulphate of iron being poured on samples of the difl'erent species, the Sugar Maple turns greenish, and the White Maple and Red-flowering Maple change to a deep blue. The extraction of Sugar from the Maple is a valuable resource in a country where all classes of society make daily use of tea and cofl'ee. The process by which it is obtained is very simple, and is everywhere nearly the same. Tliough not essentially defective, it might be improved and made more profitable by adopting hints which have been thrown out in American publications. The work is connnonly taken in iiiuid in the month of Feb- ruary, or in the beginning of March, while the cold continues 158 SUGAR MAPLE. I J intense and the ground is still covered with snow. The sap begins to be in motion at this season, two months before the general revival of vegetation. In a central situation, lying convenient to the trees from which the sap is drawn, a shed is constructed, called a sugar-camp, which is destined to shelter the boilers, and the persons who tend them, from the weather. An auger three-cpmrters of an inch in diameter, small troughs to receive the sap, tubes of Elder or Sumac, eight or ten inches long, corresponding in size to the auger and laid open for a part of their length, buckets for emptying the troughs and conveying the sap to the camp, boilers of fifteen or eighteen gallons' capa- city, moulds to receive the syrup when reduced to a proper consistency for being fonned into cakes, and, lastly, axes to cut and split the fuel, are the principal utensils employed in the operation. The trees are perforated in an obliquely-ascending direction, eighteen or twenty inches from the ground, with two holes four or five inches apart. Care should be taken that the augers do not enter more than hiilf an inch within the wood, as experience has shown the most abundant flow of sap to take place at this depth. It is also recommended to insert the tubes on the south side of the tree ; but this useful hint is not always attended to. The troughs, which contain two or three gallons, are made, in the Northern States, of White Pine, of White or Black Oak, or of Maple ; on the Ohio, the Mulberry, which is vei-y abun- dant, is preferred. The Chestnut, the Black Walnut, and the Butternut should be rejected, as they impart to the liquid the coloring-matter and bitter principle with which they are im- pregnated. A trough is placed on the ground at the foot of each tree, and the sap is every day collected and temporarily poured into casks, from which it is drawn out to till the boilers. The eva- poration is kept up by a brisk fire, and the scum is carefully taken off during this part of the process. Fresh sap is added I SUGAR MAPLE. 159 The sap .'fore the .11, lying a ^^lied is shelter weather. 1 troughs an inches for a part conveying ons' capa- a proper xes to cut ed in the direction, holes four augers do ?xperience ace at this the south tended to. arc made, Black Oak, very aljuu- t, and the liquid the ey are im- each tree, loured into The eva- is carefully ;ap is added from time to time, and the heat is maintained till the liquid is reduced to a syrup, after which it is left to cool, and then strained through a blanket or other woollen stuff, to separate the remaining impurities. Some persons recommend leaving the syrup twelve hours before boiling it for the last time ; others proceed with it imme- diately. In either case, the boilers arc only half filled, and, by an active, steady heat, the liquor is rapidly reduced to the proper consistency for being poured into the moulds. The eva- poration is known to have proceeded far enough when, upon rubbing a drop of the syrup between the fingers, it is perceived to be granular. If it is in danger of boiling over, a bit of lard or of butter is thrown into it, Avhich instantly calms the ebulli- tion. The molasses being drained oft" from the moulds, the sugar is no longer deliquescent, like the raw sugar of the West Indies. Maple Sugar manufactured in this way is light>colored in jiro- portion to the care with which it is made and the judgment with which the evaporation is conducted. It is superior to the brown sugar of the Colonies, — at least, to such as is generally used in the United States ; its taste is as pleasant, and it is as good for culinary purposes. When refined, it equals in beauty the finest sugar consumed in Europe. It is made use of, how- ever, only in the districts where it is made, and there only in the country : from prejudice or taste, inqiorted sugar is used in all tlie small towns and in the inns. The sap continues to How for six weeks, after which it be- comes less aljundant, less rich in saccharine matter, and some- times even incapable of crystallization. In this case, it is consumed in the state of molasses, which is supbrior to {hat of the Islands. After three or four days' exposure to the sun. Maple sap is converted into vinegar by the acetous fer- mentation. In a periodical work published at Philadelphia several yen's 160 SUGAR MATLE. : ' since, the following receipt is given for making Sugar Maple beer: — Upon four gallons of boiling water pour one quart of Maple molasses ; add a little yeast or leaven to excite the fer- mentation, and a spoonful of the essence of spruce ; a very plea- sant and salutary drink is thus obtained. The process which I have described for extracting the sugar is the most comnjon one, and it is the same from whatever spe- cies of Maple the sugar is made. The amount of sugar manufactured in a year varies from dif- ferent causes. A cold and dry winter renders the trees more productive than a changeable and humid season. It is observed that, when a frosty nigtit is followed by a bright and brilliant day, the sap flows abundantly ; and two or three gallons are sometimes yielded by a single tree in twenty-four hours. Three persons are found sufficient to tend 250 trees, which give 1000 pounds of sugar, or four pounds from each tree. But this pro- duct is not uniform ; for many farmers on the Ohio Iiave assured me that they did not commonly obtain more than two pounds from a tree. Trees which grow in low and moist places afford a greater quantity of sap than those which occupy rising grounds, but it is less rich in the saccharine principle. That of insulated trees, left standing in the middle of fields or by the side of fences, is the best. It is also remarked that in districts which have been cleared of other trees, and even of the less vigorous Sugar Maple, the product of the remainder is, i^roportionally, most considerable. While I resided in Pittsburg, the following curious particulars appeared in the Greensburg Gazette : — " Having intx'oduced," says the writer, " twenty tubes into a Sugar Maple, I drew from it the same day twenty-three gallons and three quarts of sap, which gave seven and a quarter pounds of sugar : thirty-three pounds have been made this season from the same tree ; which supposes one hundred gallons of sap." It appears here that SUGAR MA"LE. 161 Maple uart of the fer- ry plea- be sugar jver spe- from dif- ees more observed brilliant Lllons are 5. Three rrive 1000 t this pro- ve assured vo pounds a greater nds, but it ated trees, fences, is have been ous Sugar ally, most Iparticulars itroduced," drew from irts of sap, [hirty-three Iree ; which here that only a little more than three gallons was required for a pound, though four are commonly allowed. In the foregoing experiments, five quarts were drawn in one day from each tube, which is about equal to the quantity dis- charged when two pipes are employed. Might it not hence be concluded that the sap escapes only from the orifices of the vessels which have been divided by the auger, without being diverted to this issue from the neighboring parts? I am the more inclined to this opinion, as, in rambling one day in the profound solitude of the forests on the banks of the Ohio, the idea suggested itself to me of cutting into a Maple which had been bored the preceding year. I found, amid the white mass of its wood, a green column, equal in width and in depth to the hole beneath. The organization appeared not to be affected; but this is not sufficient to warrant the conclusion that these vessels would be in condition to give passage to the sap the suc- ceeding year. It may be objected that trees have been drained for thirty years, without diuiinution of their produce. But a tree of two or three feet in diameter presents an extensive sur- face, and the tubes are every year shifted ; besides, the succes- sive layers of thirty or forty years would restore it nearly to the state of one that never had been perforated. In the United States, Maple sugar is made in the greatest quantities in the upper part of New Hampshire, in Vermont, in the State of New York, particulai'ly in Genesee, and in the counties of Pennsylvania which lie on the eastern and western branches of the Susquehanna; west of the mountains, in the country bordering on the rivers Alleghany, Monongaliela, and Ohio. The farmers, after reserving a sufficient store for their own consumption, sell the residue to the shoplcecpers in the small towns of the neighborhood at eight cents a pound, by whom it is retailed at eleven cents. A great deal of sugar is also made in Upper Canada, on the Wabash, and near Michili- mackinac. The Indians dispose of it to the commissioners of Vol. I.— 11 1G2 SUGAR MAPLE. ifti. !: I the Northwestern Company established at Montreal, for the use of the numerous agents who go out in their emplo^^ , in quest of furs, beyond Lake Superior. In Nova Seotia and the dis- trict of Maine, and on the highest mountains of Virginia and the Carol inas, where these trees are sufficiently common, the manufacture is less considerable, and probably six-sevenths of the inhabitants consume imported sugar. It has been stated, and doubtless correctly, that the northern parts of New York and Pennsylvania contain Maples enough to supply the whole consumption of the United States. But the annual produce by no means answers to this patriotic calcula- tion. The trees grow upon excellent lands, which, by the influx of emigrants from the older settlements, and by the surprising increase of the population already established, are rapidly clear- ing; so that in less, perhaps, than half a century, the Maples will be confined to exposures too steep for cultivation, and will afford no resource, except to the proprietor on whose donaain they grow. At this period, also, the wood will probably pro- duce a greater and more ready profit than the sugar. It has been proposed to plant Sugar Maples in orchards or about the fields; but would it not be more certainly advantageous to multiply the Apple-tree, which grows in soils too dry to sustain the vegetation of the Maple? All that has been said on this subject must be considered as speculative merely, since, in the Eastern States, where information is generally diffused, no en- tei'prises of this nature have been undertaken by which the importation of sugar might be diminished. Wild and domestic animals are inordinately fond of Maple juice, and break into enclosures to sate themselves with it. The details into which I have entered concerning the Sugar Maple furnish the means of estimating its importance with reference both to its sap and to its wood. I have indicated the regions where it grows and the soil in which it thrives; and I fp<>l authorized in seriously recommending it for propagation in Mitreal, for tlio 'inploy, in quest ill and the dis- of Virginia and ly common, tlio six-seven tlis of liat tlie northern laples enough to 5tates. But the ^iatriotic calcuha- ich, by the influx by the surprising are rapidly clear- tury, the Maples tivation, and will »n whose domain all probably pro- le sugar. It has lards or about the advantageous to too dry to sustain been said on this !rely, since, in the ly diffused, no en- :en by which the ely fond of Maple selves with it. cerning the Sugar i importance with liave indicated the h it thrives; and I for propagation in :l /'/^•'• Jcl, and indicate with accuracy tlie manner of emj)loying this indigenous remedy, and the effects to be e\|)ecled from it. The tree which ])rodu('es it HO nearly resembles the Peruvian vi'getable, that some botanists have included them in the same genus. PLATE XLIX. A branch with Irnrcs and fowcrs of iltc natural size. Fir/, 1. A seed- vessel. Fi : but it is lie States of 1 bounded by 40 til degrees bits in these ' the seai'ons se of Illinois, Itates, Coftee- tlie richest th the IJliick , the Honey Is in height, ct high does meter. fine a))[K :iv- les for t^'irty 'ad, but of u is its f(,rni in which ,>row \, the paucity lich are very ii /'/,,■.,.. I'.' a.w.„M /t,-/htr,/ .■, ifty ! ' 2! T COFFEE T R E E. 183 large in comparison witli those of other trees, give it a peculiar appearance, somewhat resembling a dead tree. This is probably the reason of its being called Chicot — Stump-tree — by the French Canadians. To this peculiar character is added another of the epiderml, , which is extremely rough, and which detaches itself in small, hard, transverse strips, rolled backward at the ends, and projecting sufficiently to render the tree distinguishable at first sight. I have also remarked that the live bark is very bitter, so that a morsel no bigger than a grain of ni'^.ize, chewed for some time, produces a violent irritation of the throat. The leaves are three feet long and twenty inches wide on young and thriving trees : on old ones they are not more than half as large. These leaves are doubly compound, with oval- acuminate leaflets from one to two inches long. The leaflets are of a dull green, and in the fall the petiole is of a violet color. The Coflee-tree belongs to the class DUrcia of Linnaeus, which includes all vegetables whose male and female flowers are borne by difl'crent plants ; in which case those only that bear the female flowers produce fruit : to effect the fecundation, it is necessary that there should be male plants growing near them. The flowers and the fruit are large, bowed pods, of a reddisii- brown color, and of a pulpy consistency within. They contain several large, gray seeds, which are extremely hard. The French of Upper Tiouisiana call them Gounjanes. The mime of Coflee-tree was given to this vegetable by the early emigrants to Kentucky and Tennessee, who hoped to find in its seeds a substitute for coflee; but the smaller number of persons who made the experiment abandoned it as soon as it becat 10 easy to obtain from the seaports the coffee of the West Tndief. ' The wood of the Coflee-tree is very comi)act and of a rosy hue. The fineness and closeness of its grain fit it for cabinet- making, and its strength renders it proper for building. Like 1S4 COFFEE TREE. the Locust, it has the vahiable property of rapidly converting its sap into perfect wood, so that a trunk six in(!hes in diameter has only six lines oi sap, and may be employed almost entire. These qualities recommend it for propagation in the forests of the north and of the centre of Europe. The Coffee-tree was sent to France more than fifty years since. It thrives in the environs of Paris, where there are trees that exceed forty feet in height; but it docs not yield fruit, and is multiplied only by shoots obtained by digging trenches round the old trees. The divided roots produce shoots three or four feet long the first year. The young trees are sought, on account of their beautiful foliage, for the embellishment of parks and picturesque gardens, PLATE L. mi A branch with fioiocrs of the natural size. Fig. 1. A pod of the natural size. Fifj. 2. A seed of the natural size. [The Coffee-tree thrives as far north as Massachusetts. It requires a rich, deep, free soil, and, when isolated, spreads over a large space, and is extremely beautiful. It is readily propa- irated from the seeds.] END OP VOL. I. BTERIWTTPt:!) Ur L. JnllMSON k lO. PliaAUtLPHU. IMAGE EVALUATSON TEST TARGET (MT-3) 7' ^/ ^O ^ <^^^ m /- . .^^1^^ ,*^ *C ^° ^° ..^ u.. 1.0 I.I *i« Uii |2.2 Z U& 12.0 u lillK !L25 in 1.4 I^iotographic Sciences Corporation <> 'V 39 WIST MAIN STMIT VmUTH.N.Y. MSM (7U)t7a.4S03 4^ / '".■■.■ W - ♦ '•■::-■"' , i J ^% ^^^^ .<^% . Ws^ %^^ • • . ■"■"?""" , "■ 1 FICHE 5 NOT REQUIRED