CHAPTER XIV.
THE ITALIAN OAK TREE (Quercus).
There are several varieties of very valuable Oak trees spread over the whole length of the Italian peninsula, the island of Sicily, and also in the island of Sardinia, which in form and quality differ but slightly one from the other.
Botanists might say they were all of erect growth, yet they very rarely attain a perfectly upright position, as, owing to their naturally curved and crooked form of stem, they must necessarily be a little, more or less, inclined to the horizon. They appear generally to attain at least moderate dimensions; but, judging from those imported into this country, their best specimens are inferior in size to many of our British Oak trees.
The following varieties of Italian Oak, viz., the Quercus Robur, Q. montella, Q. Tuscana, Q. pyrenaica, Q. vera, Q. Ischia, and the Q. montana, are the best in quality. There are also the Q. cerro, Q. Æsculus, Q. farina, and one or two others which are not generally thought to be quite equal to those first mentioned. They may, nevertheless, occasionally compare favourably with them, especially when they are found at a moderate elevation, or on the mountain sides.
The wood of the Italian Oak is brown in colour,
