The Richmond Virginian. (Richmond, Va.) 1910-1920, 1910-07-30
MUST NOT TAKE
NAME LITERALLY
So Called White Oak Contains
Many Other Species of
Market Words.
RED OAK is MIXED IN
Inroads of Civilization Have
Played Havoc With Seem
ingly Endless Supply.
RED OAK IS MIXED n
Especial to The Richmond virginian,)

Especial to The Richmond Virginian,)
WASHINGTON, d. C., July Soft
will surprise most persons who know
something about oak to be told that
the so-called white oak timber of our
markets Is often a mixture not only
OF various species of the white oak
group, but also of other species, such
rs the red oak. This generally un-
known fact is reported by the United
States Department of Agriculture.
which. as a part of it's forestry work.
is frequently called upon TO pass judg-
ment upon the identity of market
woods in dispute.
B'oresters divide all the oaks into two
distinct groups--the white oak group
and the black oak group. One way OF
distinguishing the two Is by the fact
that the black oaks require two years
to mature their aCOrns, while the white
oaks take but one. The woods of the
two groups of oaks are also structar-
ally different. The true white oak,
known to botanists as Crereus alba, IL
merely one of the species which make
up the white oak group. Red oak, on
the other hand, belongs TO the black
oak group. Red oak has a number of
other common names, among them
mountain oak, black oak and Spanish
oak.
There is so much confusion in the
ordinary use of names of the oaks that
1t is almost impossible to keep them
straight without resorting to the sclen-
tific names. but the marketing of wood
OF the black oak group as white oak Is
hardly fair to the consumer Red oak.
for instance, is now much more abund-
ant than white oak. grows faster and
is generally regarded as inferior. The
two species often grow together and
occupy the same general region.
In the early days of its abundance,
market white oak was derived almost
entirely, it is safe to say, from Quer-
Gus alba, the true white oak. This
species combines approximately the
utmost strength and toughness of any
OF the timber oaks, excepting possibly
the Southern live oaw, which in the
colonial days was SO highly priced for
shipbulding that 1t was protected by
special laws. The immense fnroads
made upon the then apparently mex
haustible white oak forests, which
to about Missouri. gradually so re-
duced the supply that the use of other
species became inevitable.
AT the present time 1t Is almost i'm
possible to obtain a consignment of
white oak that does not contain pieces
of some other species. OF the white
oak group those most used, in addi-
ton 10 the true white oak, are bur
oak. chestnut oak Chinquapin oak,
post oak. swamp white oak. cow oak.
and overcup oak; OF the black oak
group, Texas red oak, red oak and
| spotted or water oak.
Real white oak timber of number
one quality Is very largely cut into
! quarter sawed boards, while combi-
| nation of one or more white oaks and
red oak may constitute other cuts of
| white oak" In many markets the
| term cabinet white oak is now un-
| derstood to include a mixture of white
oak and red oak, while it often signi-
| fies red oak only.
| The question, What Is white oak -
| Is now coming up among consumers
and manufacturers Of commercial oak
| timber The above named white oaks
are distinct but closely related species,
which together must be depended upon
for the future supply. For the ordI-
| nary purposes for which true white
oak is used, practically all the trees
! of this group yield woods that can
be interchanged and will serve equally
| well.