Forest trees of California - Tapa blanda

This historic book may have numerous typos and missing text. Purchasers can download a free scanned copy of the original book (without typos) from the publisher. Not indexed. Not illustrated. 1882 edition. Excerpt: ...the wood of the previous year's growth, and is what is termed a biennial oak, i. e., they mature their fruit the following season after flowering; yet both old and young acorns are seen on the trees at the same time. The cup is scarcely hemispherical, about one third the height of the acorn, one half to three fourths of an inch across, and about one half as deep; the outer, lower, well defined scales, egg-form, acute, with brownish, thin, almost horny tips, more or less swelled below, but sometimes so overlaid with yellowish starry down as to hide their exact form; margin of the cup often thin and minutely toothed, satiny-villous within, of the six ovules in oaks only one matures; the five tiny, bottle-shaped, abortive ones of this species, are discovered on the side midway between the point and base, inside the shell, but outside the skin of the meat. These trees are seldom or never in groves, but scattered here and there, often widely separated, and for this reason rare, and if not timely known, are likely to become very scarce. In a general way we have already alluded to the quality of timber. The color of the heart and sap are alike white; texture exceedingly compact and tough, without any porosity of the White Oak, and far better for wine and other tight casks, etc., perhaps too heavy for many purposes, but very strong and lasting, hardens with age and due seasoning; if soaked, steamed, or treated as good timber should be, and then carefully kept a long while, to season slowly in the shade, or after being duly buried in tide or swamp mud, no timber can excel this for naval architecture, or mechanical purposes, especially where great strength and durability are required; it is claimed to be as elastic as the White Oak (Q. alba), but we have...