Middlebury register. (Middlebury, Vt.) 1886-1937, 1886-02-05

Continued
MlCHAUX'S THE NORTH AMERl'
CAN SYLVIA"
SWAMP WHITE OAK.

! OldttS OnlN ny tllt name VI swamp W ii'N
Oak, which indicates at once the soil
which it prefers and its analogy to the
White Oak.
! first observed it near Portsmouth in
New Hampshire; but it is less multiplied
| in this latitude than in the Middle and
Western States. 1t particularly attract
ed INV attention in New Jersey near the
city of New York, on the Delaware in
| Pennsylvania, on the Susquehanna in
Virginia.. and beyond the mountains
on the Ohio in Kentucky, and on llolston,
near Knoxville. in East Tennessee; |
have also seen it on the shores of Lake
Champlain and Lake Ontario. Except
the district of Maine and the maritime
parts of the southern section, it Is difius-
ed throughout the United States in COM
parison. however, with several other
species, it is not common, being found
only on the edges of swamps and in wet
places exposed to foundations, and not
in the forests at large. like the White Oak,
the Black Oak, etc. In New Jersey it is
associated with the Pin Oak, the Red
Towering Maple, the White Ash, the
Tupelo, and the Shellbark Hickory. On
occasionally offer similar situations, par
tcularly at little distance from
Skeensborough, it is mingled with the
White Naples, which occupy the next
l I. " -, F,., 81
shore.
The Swamp White Oak is a beautiful
tree, more than seventy feet in height. 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 slightly-darl green
above. dOwny and light-colored beneath
they are entire toward the base, which is
cOneiform. but are Widened and coarSely-
toOthed for two-thrds of their length
toward the summit. The tree is distin-
guished when young by the form of its
base and by the down upon its leaves,
which is more sensible to the touch than
any analogous species. At ripper age
the lower side of the leaf is of "A silvery
white, which is strikingly contrasted
with the bright green of the upper sur
face; hence, the specific name of discOlor
was given it by DR.. Muhlenberg.
The acorns are sweet but seldom abund-
ant; they are rather large, of a brown
complexion. and contained in IA spreading
cup edged with short, slender tilamentS,
more downy within than those of any
other Oak, and supported by peduncles
one or two inches in length.
The trunk is clad in scaly grayish-
white bark. The wood is strong, elastic,
and heavier than that of the White Oak.
In stocks more than foot in diameter
the grain is fine and close and the pores
are nearly obiterated. 1t splits easily
and in straight line, and is esteemed
next i'm quality to the White Oak. though
from its rareness it is but accidentally
employed in the arts.
If. as | incline to believe, the Swamp
White Oak is found by more accurate eX-
periments to be superior to the White
Oak, it must be considered aS Il very
valuable tree. and its increase should be
favored at the expense of the Red-flower-
ing Maple, the Bitter-nut Hickory, the
lIornbeam. aud other species which grow
in the same exposures. Ii seems also to
deserve place in the forests of Europe,
where, in moist grounds. it might be
blended or alternated with the Ashes,
the Alders. and the Poplars.
Tthi, tree occasionally attains Il large
size. One is mentioned growing in wet,
claycy soil, measuring II feet and one
inch in circumference 1T four feet from
the ground. The wood is of n brownish
color, heavy, compact. and tinc-grained,
and is preferred by some for boat build
ing to the White Oak.
ROCK CHESTNUT OAK.
/ This Oak is among the species which
are not scattered promiscuously in the
. forests. but which grow only in particu-
/ lar sections and easily escape ObScrva-
/ ton: hence, it is difficult to assign its
limits with pcrciSion. 1t probably does
not extend northward far beyond Yer
mont nor eastward beyond New lamp
shire. have never seen it in the district
of Maine nor in Nova Scotia, and it is not
mentioned in my fathers botanical notes
upon Lower Canada: it is likewise a
stranger to the maritime parts of the
/ Southern States. 1t is most frequently
met with in the middle and some parts of
/ the northern sections, but is rarely
mingled with other trees in the forests,
and is only found on high grounds thick
! ly strewn with stones or covered with
rocks. Thus, it is often seen on the
steep and rock banks of the Hudson and
on the shores of Lake Champlain, and
still more frequently ON the Alleghanies
I'm DnnnSVlVDuin and NirUinia II farms