Southern Appalachian Digital Collections

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Report of the Secretary of Agriculture in relation to the forests, rivers, and mountains of the southern Appalachian region

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  • 98 SOUTHERN APPALACHIAN REGION. Swamp White Oak (Quercus platanoides) becomes a large tree, 100 feet in height and 3 feet in diameter. It is found along streams, but is infrequent. The wood has the same qualities and uses as that of the white oak, though it is coarser and more brittle. Chestnut Oak (Quercus prinus), reaching a height of 90 feet and a diameter of 10 inches, is common on dry and especially sandy slopes. The wood is harder and more durable than that of the other oaks of this region and is largely used for posts, railway ties, and insulator pins. The bark, which is rich in tannin, is extensively used in the manufacture of white leathers, thousands of trees being yearly stripped to supply the demand. It seeds frequently and in abundance, and reproduces freely. The rate of growth is slow, the large trees often being 250 years old. Yellow Oak (Quercus acuminata), reaching a height of 90 feet and a diameter of 24 inches, occurs rarely along the larger streams. The wood has much the same quality and uses as that of the white oak. Red Oak (Quercus rubra) is the largest oak in the Southern Appalachians, frequently reaching a height of 130 feet and a diameter of more than 5 feet. It is common above 1,500 feet, but attains its greatest size in deep, cool hollows, on fertile soil, where it grows with chestnut, linn, birch, and yellow poplar. It is extensively sawn, and the wood is largely used in the manufacture of furniture, for interior finish, staves, and in construction. It is a tree of rapid growth, seeds frequently and freely, and reproduces well. Pin Oak (Quercus palustris) is a small tree, seldom more than 50 feet in height and 20 inches in diameter. It is found only at a low elevation, along streams flowing from the western slope of the Smoky Mountains. The wood is coarse and porous, and even were the tree more common would be little used. Spotted Oak (Quercus texana) is a tall, slender tree, often 110 feet high and 30 inches in diameter, growing in the larger valleys below 1,200 feet elevation. It is not common, but reproduces well and makes rapid growth. Scarlet Oak (Quercus coccinea), reaching a height of 100 feet and a diameter of 30 inches, but generally much smaller, is very common on dry soil, especially if stiff, below 4,000 feet elevation. The timber is not so valuable as that of the red oak, but is much used. It reproduces freely and makes good growth. Black Oak (Quercus velutina), reaching a height of 100 feet and a diameter of 30 inches, is frequent on good soil on well-drained slopes below 2,500 feet elevation. The timber has about the same uses as that of the red oak. It is a tree of rapid growth and reproduces well. The bark is rich in tannin. Southern Red 0ak(QuereU8 digitata), reaching in the mountains a height of 80 feet and a diameter of 30 inches, is common only below
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Object’s are ‘parent’ level descriptions to ‘children’ items, (e.g. a book with pages).