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Article A CHAPTER ON OAKS. ← Page 2 of 6 →
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A Chapter On Oaks.
prophets , among Avhom , after bis being anointed king , be Avas to receive the Divine Spirit of prophecy , and to became another man . Before any further mention is made of the oak in Scripture , David had been for some time king , and had resolved on building a house to the Lord ; a design which was fulfilled by Solomon his son . From that period the use of groves and high places AY as forbidden , on account of the temptation to idolatry which they presented . But the oak was to David a fatal tree ; for in an oak his rebellious but still beloved
son Absalom was entangled and there slain ( 2 Sam . xviii , 9-11 ) . Twice again the oak is spoken of in the historical books of the Old Testament . It Avas under au oak that the disobedient Prophet sat , Avhen he determined to turn back , and to eat and drink in defiance of the command of God ; and so incurred the punishment of disobedience ( 1 Kings xiii . 14 . And it Avas under tbe Oak of Jabesh that the compassionate men of Jabesh-Gilead buried the bodies of Saul and his sons ( 1 Chron . x . 12 *
Waterson s Cyclopaedia gives the following account of this timber : — Oak ( Fr . CMne . Ger . Eieke . It . Querela . For . and Sp . Boble ) , a genus of trees ( Quercus ) embracing about 150 species , two of which , common in our forests , excel all the others in the production of timber . The common British oak ( Q . pedunculata ) , " the father of ships , " that Avhich chiefly abounds in our island and the N . of Europe , is distinguished by having the acorns on footstalks ; the sessile-cupped oak ( Q . Sessiliflora ) bears the acorns without footstalksbut has the leaf-stalks longer than the other ; it is
, found chiefly in the West of England , N . Wales , and the S . of Europe . The best oak is said to be that Avhich groAVs in cold or elevated situations ( if not stunted ) , on stiff , clayey soils , and is the longest in arriving at maturity . The common species is of slower growth than the sessile-cupped , and is commonly preferred to it ; but there is great difference of opinion as to Avhich is really the best ; much seems to depend on the soil and health of the individual tree .
The " miAvedgable and gnarled oak , " Avhen cut down at a proper age ( about 60 years , is superior to all other timber in point of strength , durability , and general application . " It is not grown in this country sufficient for the consumption ; and large quantities are imported , especially from Prussia and Canada . The kinds principally used in the Royal Dock Yards are Welsh , Sussex , and Baltic , —tbe last being the most esteemed of the foreign kinds : the Adriatic , formerly much used , has turned out ill . In domestic architecture oak is only used in the largest and best buildingsoccasionallfor the
; y principal beams ; but its chief use is for door and AvindoAV frames , sills , sleepers , king posts of roofs , trussing for girders , sashes , gates of canal locks , sluices , posts , and piles . The Avhite oak ( Q . alba ) of the TTnited States is the kind chiefly used there for shipbuilding , houses , and liquor casks : it is also imported into Britain . But . the live oak ( Q . virens ) abundant in Texas , is the best American species . Large Oak Trees—In a book published bJohn Masonin 1848 the MloAving
, y , , interesting account is given : — " On the west side of Clipston Park , county of Nottingham , stands tbe ' Parliament Oak , ' so-called from a tradition of tAvo parliaments having been held under it , the first by King John , in 1212 , AVIIO , whilst hunting in the park Avith his barons , received intelligence of tho revolt of the Welsh , and hastily assembled his followers under it , and held a consultation ; the second , by Edward I ., and is supposed to be 1 , 500 years old .
It is in a state of ruinous decay , and yet it may stand for several generations to come . "In Welbeck Park , Nottinghamshire , stands another venerable tree , ' bearing the name of " Green-dale Oak . " It is supposed to be upAvards of seA ^ en hundred years old . Its circumference at the base is thirty-three feet , and its branches cover a space equal to seven hundred square yards . In 1724 a coach-road , upivards of ten feet in height , and six feet throe inches in AA'idth , Avas cub through its trunk ; and the then proprietor of the estate used to drive through it , of Avhich there are several paintings in the neighbourhood , forming signs to public houses . It is in a state of great decay , having
Note: This text has been automatically extracted via Optical Character Recognition (OCR) software.
A Chapter On Oaks.
prophets , among Avhom , after bis being anointed king , be Avas to receive the Divine Spirit of prophecy , and to became another man . Before any further mention is made of the oak in Scripture , David had been for some time king , and had resolved on building a house to the Lord ; a design which was fulfilled by Solomon his son . From that period the use of groves and high places AY as forbidden , on account of the temptation to idolatry which they presented . But the oak was to David a fatal tree ; for in an oak his rebellious but still beloved
son Absalom was entangled and there slain ( 2 Sam . xviii , 9-11 ) . Twice again the oak is spoken of in the historical books of the Old Testament . It Avas under au oak that the disobedient Prophet sat , Avhen he determined to turn back , and to eat and drink in defiance of the command of God ; and so incurred the punishment of disobedience ( 1 Kings xiii . 14 . And it Avas under tbe Oak of Jabesh that the compassionate men of Jabesh-Gilead buried the bodies of Saul and his sons ( 1 Chron . x . 12 *
Waterson s Cyclopaedia gives the following account of this timber : — Oak ( Fr . CMne . Ger . Eieke . It . Querela . For . and Sp . Boble ) , a genus of trees ( Quercus ) embracing about 150 species , two of which , common in our forests , excel all the others in the production of timber . The common British oak ( Q . pedunculata ) , " the father of ships , " that Avhich chiefly abounds in our island and the N . of Europe , is distinguished by having the acorns on footstalks ; the sessile-cupped oak ( Q . Sessiliflora ) bears the acorns without footstalksbut has the leaf-stalks longer than the other ; it is
, found chiefly in the West of England , N . Wales , and the S . of Europe . The best oak is said to be that Avhich groAVs in cold or elevated situations ( if not stunted ) , on stiff , clayey soils , and is the longest in arriving at maturity . The common species is of slower growth than the sessile-cupped , and is commonly preferred to it ; but there is great difference of opinion as to Avhich is really the best ; much seems to depend on the soil and health of the individual tree .
The " miAvedgable and gnarled oak , " Avhen cut down at a proper age ( about 60 years , is superior to all other timber in point of strength , durability , and general application . " It is not grown in this country sufficient for the consumption ; and large quantities are imported , especially from Prussia and Canada . The kinds principally used in the Royal Dock Yards are Welsh , Sussex , and Baltic , —tbe last being the most esteemed of the foreign kinds : the Adriatic , formerly much used , has turned out ill . In domestic architecture oak is only used in the largest and best buildingsoccasionallfor the
; y principal beams ; but its chief use is for door and AvindoAV frames , sills , sleepers , king posts of roofs , trussing for girders , sashes , gates of canal locks , sluices , posts , and piles . The Avhite oak ( Q . alba ) of the TTnited States is the kind chiefly used there for shipbuilding , houses , and liquor casks : it is also imported into Britain . But . the live oak ( Q . virens ) abundant in Texas , is the best American species . Large Oak Trees—In a book published bJohn Masonin 1848 the MloAving
, y , , interesting account is given : — " On the west side of Clipston Park , county of Nottingham , stands tbe ' Parliament Oak , ' so-called from a tradition of tAvo parliaments having been held under it , the first by King John , in 1212 , AVIIO , whilst hunting in the park Avith his barons , received intelligence of tho revolt of the Welsh , and hastily assembled his followers under it , and held a consultation ; the second , by Edward I ., and is supposed to be 1 , 500 years old .
It is in a state of ruinous decay , and yet it may stand for several generations to come . "In Welbeck Park , Nottinghamshire , stands another venerable tree , ' bearing the name of " Green-dale Oak . " It is supposed to be upAvards of seA ^ en hundred years old . Its circumference at the base is thirty-three feet , and its branches cover a space equal to seven hundred square yards . In 1724 a coach-road , upivards of ten feet in height , and six feet throe inches in AA'idth , Avas cub through its trunk ; and the then proprietor of the estate used to drive through it , of Avhich there are several paintings in the neighbourhood , forming signs to public houses . It is in a state of great decay , having