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.