PIN OAK (Quercus palustris)

Distinguishing characters:  Its method of branching will characterize
    the tree at a glance.  It develops a well-defined main ascending
    stem with numerous drooping side branches as in Fig. 63.  The
    buds are very small and sharp pointed and the leaves are small as in
    Fig. 64.  The bark is dark, firm, smooth and in close ridges.  The
    acorn is small and carries a light brown, striped nut, wider than
    long and bitter.  The cup is shallow, enclosing only the base of the
    nut.

[Illustration:  FIG. 63.—­Pin Oaks in Winter.]

Form and size:  The pin oak is a medium-sized tree in comparison with
    other oaks.  It develops a tall, straight trunk that tapers
    continuously through a pyramidal crown of low, drooping tender,
    branches.

Range:  Eastern North America.

Soil and location:  It requires a deep, rich, moist soil and grows
    naturally near swamps.  Its roots are deep and spreading.  The tree
    grows rapidly and is easily transplanted.

Enemies:  None of importance.

Value for planting:  The pin oak is an extremely graceful tree and is
    therefore extensively used for planting on lawns and on certain
    streets where the tree can find plenty of water and where conditions
    will permit its branches to droop low.

Commercial value:  The wood is heavy and hard but coarse grained and
    liable to check and warp.  Its principal use is in the construction
    of houses and for shingles.

[Illustration:  FIG. 64.—­Leaf and Fruit of Pin Oak.]

CHESTNUT (Castanea dentata)

Distinguishing characters:  The bark in young trees is smooth and of a
    marked reddish-bronze color, but when the tree grows older, the bark
    breaks up into diamond-shaped ridges, sufficiently characteristic
    to distinguish the tree at a glance, see Fig. 65.  A close
    examination of the terminal twig will show three ridges and two
    grooves running down along the stem from the base of each leaf or
    leaf-scar.  The twig has no true terminal bud.  The fruit, a large,
    round bur, prickly without and hairy within and enclosing the
    familiar dark brown, sweet edible nuts is also a distinguishing mark
    of the tree.

Leaf:  The leaves are distinctly long and narrow.  They are from 6 to 8
    inches long.

Form and size:  The chestnut is a large tree with a massive trunk and
    broad spreading crown.  The chestnut tree when cut, sprouts readily
    from the stump and therefore in places where the trees have once
    been cut, a group of two to six trees may be seen emerging from the
    old stump.