The Washington herald. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1906-1939, 1910-07-31
WHITE OAK TIMBER
BECOMES SCARCE
Red Oak and Other Species
Are Substituted.
ALL INFERIOR IN QUALITY
Department. of Agriculture Reveals
Interesting Facts About Growth.
Value, aid Distribution of Oak
Trees-Lumbermen Take Advan-
tage OF Lack of knowledge.

1t will be Of interest TO most persons
who know something about oak TO b,
told that the so-called white oak timber
Of our markets is not only often a mix
ture of various species Of the white oal
group, but also Of other species. such a,
the red oak
This generally unknown fact is re-
ported by the Department OF Agriculture,
which. as a part of It's forestry work, is
frequently called upon to pass judgment
upon The identity OF market woods.
Foresters divide all the oaks into two
groups-the white oak group and the
black oak group. One way of distin-
gushing the two is by the fact that the
black oak requires two years 10 mature
their acorns, while the white oaks take
but one, The woods of the two groups
Of oaks are also structuralIy different.
White Oak Described.
The true white oak. known to botanists
as Qiercus alba. is merely one Of the
species which make up the white oak
group.
Red oak belongs 70 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 ordi-
nary use Of names Of the oaks that II is
almost impossi ole to keep them straight
without resorting 10 the scientific names
but the marketing of wood OF the black
oak -roup as white oak is hardly fair 10
the consumer. Red oak. for instance. Is
now much more abundant than white
oak. grows faster. and is generally re-
garded as inferior. The two species Of
ten grow together and occupy the same
general region.
Much Used Formerly.
In the early days Of its abundance
market white oak was derived almost en-
.tirely from Quercus alba. the true white
oak This species combines approx
imately the utmost strength and tough
ness Of any OF the timber oaks. excepting
possibly the Southern live oak. which in
the colonial days was so highly priced
for shipbuAdins that II was protected by
special laws. The immense inroads made
upon the apparently iney Aaustible white
oak forests. which stretched frcm the
Atlantic seaboard 70 Missouri. gradually
so reduced the supply that the use OF
other species became inevitable.
AT the present II Is almost impossible
to obtain a consignment Of white oak
that does not contain pieces of some
other species or the white oak group
those most used. in addition to the true
white oak. are bur oak chestnut oak.
oak. post oak. swamp white
oak. COW oak. overcup oak: OF the black
oak group, Texas red oak. red oak. and
spotted or water oak.
Lumber Cuts shown.
Real white oak timber Of number one
quality is largely cut into quarter-sawed
boards. while a combination Of one or
more white oaks and red oak may con-
stitute other cuts of white oak" In
many markets. the term cabinet white
oak is now understood 10 include
mixture OF white oak and red oak. while
IL often signifies red oak only.
The question. What is white oak7" Is
now coming up among consumers and
of commercial oak tim
Der The above-named white oaks are
distinct but closely related species.
which together must be depended upon
for the future supply. For the ordinary
for which true white oak is
used. practically all the trees Of this
group yield woods that can be interchang-
I'd and Will serve equally we'll.