Middlebury register. (Middlebury, Vt.) 1886-1937, 1886-01-15

American Oaks in a natural series, the
characters of which / first sought in the
fructification; but this afforded only UNI
important distinctions, such as the posi-
ton of the barren flowers, whether pc
dunculated or nearly sessile and the size
and period of the fruit. Neither was
able to found any distinction on the
structure of the cup. | was obliged
therefore to have recourse to the foliage,
which has been made the basis of a divi-
sion into two sections, the first contain
ing 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 flower and the maturity of the
fruit is different in different species and
this distinction | have admitted as a
secondary character.
"All the Oaks are proved to be moneci-
Gus. We know, too, that on the European
White Oak and other species the female
flowers are situated above the male upon
the shoots of the same season; that both
are axillary; and that, Immediately after
the formulation, the male flowers fade
and fall, while the female blossom con-
tinues advancing through the natural
stages till, in the course of the year, it
ripens into perfect fruit. But there are
some species whose fertile flowers remain
stationary whole year and begin to de-
velop their germ the second spring, proba-
bly, because they are not formulated the
first season; so that is months elapse
between the appearance of the flower and
the maturity of the fruit. Hence have
formed a subdivision into species of an
nual and species of biennial qualification.
The female flower which is axilary
the first season ceases to be so, of course,
at the falling of the leaf Several species
are found upon the Old Continent whose
fructuation is biennial, such as the Cork
Oak, Quercus Suber, etc.
| have derived great assistance from
my fathers work, and have adopted his
arrangements, which perfectly accords
with my own observations. But have
inserted several new species and have
suppressed two that were not well ascer-
tanned; the existence of one of them is
doubtful, and the other is evidently Il
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 con-
slant aim was to appreciate the utility of
each species in the mechanical arts, and
to point out those which are the most de-
serving of attention in Europe and Amer
lea. If in this respect mine has some
advantages, my fathers work will al
ways preserve its title to the attention of
bOtanists and amateurs of foreign plants,
by other details not consistent with nv
plan. They will find, for example. quo
tations from all the authors who had pre-
viously taken notice of the species he
describes, and, in the plates, leaves of
the young plants as well as of the full
grown tree.
have described 26 American species.
which | have divided into two sections.
according to the term of fluctiiication ::
the first comprising ten species that have
fruit every year; the second, lG. of
which the fructification is biennial. |
have learned by multiplied observations
that. with the exception of the live oak.
the wood of the first section is of finer
texture, more compact and consequently
more durable
Linn@us, in the third edition of his
Species PioRtarum, published in l77l.
describes II species of oak, of which
five only are natives of the new world
Since that period such additions have
been made to the list that the new edi-
ton of Willdenow's Species PontoruD,.
published in 1905, contains II American
species; of which l6 were recognize
by Messrs. Humboldt and Bonpland in
Old Mexico, and 26 by my father and
myself in the United States and the adia-
cent countries. Probably the American
series will be still further augmented bv
discoveries in the Western part of Louis
lana and in the interior provinces of New
Spain-a country 1900 miles in extent.
lying between the United States and Old
Mexico, which no naturalist has eX-
plored.
In America, as we have just observed,
are found n species, which are all COM
prised between the Goth and the 18th de-
grees of north latitude; on the Old Con-
tlnent are enumerated only 30, 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 par
allels might perhaps contribute more
than is generally thought to the progress
of botany and agriculture, and they de-
serve particular attention from natural
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