254 



THE GARDENER'S MONTHLY 



[August, 



a few years ago, greatly puffed up in Paris as a 

 cure for gout; it was applied externally, but was 

 of little or no use, and is now considered merely 

 as a quack medicine. Starch seems to be the 

 best product of these nuts, but somehow the 

 manufacture of it has never paid in this country, 

 although Horse Chestnuts may be had almost 

 everywhere for the mere gathering. Like Cas- 

 sava (or Manioc) and many other feculent roots 

 or nuts, repeated washings and triturating will 

 rid them of their bitter and acrid principle, 

 leaving the fecula in an eatable state ; the only, 

 question being that of the cost of the labor re- 

 quired for these operations. — Fredk. Palmer in 

 Gardener's 3Iagazine. 



The Chestnut (Castanea vesca), celebrated 

 amongst European trees for the enormous size it 

 will attain, is already mentioned in the Bible. 

 Theophrastus and Athenseus give it the name of 

 Euboean Nut, from the Island of Euboea, now 

 Negropont, where it was peculiarly abundant. 

 Pliny says that Chestnuts first came from Sardis, 

 the ancient capital of Lydia, and not far from 

 the modern Smyrna. Galen, who was a Lydian, 

 confirms that origin, and says that they were 

 also called Balani leuceni, from Leucene, situa- 

 ted on Mount Ida. Other writers, ancient and 

 modern, give various Eastern countries as the 

 native stations of the Chestnut, and even Gio- 

 vanni Targioni-Tozzetti, our author's grandfather, 

 believed them to be introduced only into Italy; 

 but not only have the extensive Chestnut woods 

 in the Apuan Alps and other parts of the Apen- 

 nines, mentioned by Bertoloni, every appear- 

 ance of being really indigenous, but further evi- 

 dence that woods of this tree existed in Tuscany 

 from very remote times, may be found in the 

 number of places which have derived their names 

 from them, such as Castagna, Castagnaia, Castag- 

 neta, etc. We may, indeed, safely give as the 

 native country of the wild Chestnut, the south of 

 Europe from Spain to the Caucasus. It does not 

 extend to East India. — The Garden. 



Alan W. Corson. — Alan W. Corson, the oldest 

 nurseryman in Pennsylvania, died at his home in 

 Whitemarsh, on the 21st of June in his 95th year. 

 Like many of the famous botanists of Pennsyl 

 vania, he was self-taught in the science, or 

 rather taught by nature with whom they were 

 so ardently in love. He was a contemporary of 

 William Bartram, John Evans, and other well 

 known botanists and horticulturists, all of 

 whom he has so long survived. For a long time 



Alan Corson's nursery was the only place within 

 many a long mile where trees could be bought. 

 His botanical zeal led him to obtain every thing 

 that could be had, and amongst these many were 

 thus introduced which proved of immense service 

 to horticulturists. Innumerable rare trees and 

 plants are found in old gardens within fifty 

 or sixty miles of his home, of which few now 

 know their history, but which owed their exist- 

 ence to Corson's nursery. Singularly modest 

 and unassuming, he never sought any credit for 

 the good he did. and thus to-day very few know 

 of the great value of his service in his day and 

 generation. His knowledge of the botany of 

 his district was so complete, that when any ques- 

 tion arouse among the younger folks, a proposi- 

 tion to submit the matter to Alan Corson, was sure 

 to receive unanimous approbation. The love of 

 flowers both botanically and horticulturally, is 

 wide-spread in the country bordering on Corson's 

 home. Many of these flower lovers would be 

 regarded as botanists in other lands. A large 

 number of these date the great pleasure they 

 have had in life to the teaching and influence of 

 this remarkable man. 



The Business of James Vick. — The four sons 

 of Mr. Vick have arranged to continue the busi- 

 ness of their father and under their father's 

 name. They have the good wishes of the whole 

 community. 



Memoir of Charles Darwin.— By Prof. Al- 

 phonse DeCandolle. The publication committee 

 of the " Archives de Sciences de la Bibliotheque Uni- 

 verselle" have published in their May number, a 

 paper by DeCandolle on "Darwin considered 

 in the aspect of the causes of his success, and 

 the importance of his labors" which may be 

 classed as among the most eloquent of the many 

 tributes to this remarkable man, who, considered 

 at first as the enemy of all religion, came in the 

 end to be so highly venerated as to be buried in 

 Westminster Abbey, amid solemn religious ser- 

 vices, followed to the grave by a long course of 

 English clergymen, who sincerely expressed 

 their deep sorrow for the world's great loss. The 

 fixity of species, which before his time few dared 

 question, has been entirely annihilated and 

 chiefly by the courageous devotion of Darwin to 

 his work. There are few living scientific men, 

 who receive new views with more caution than 

 DeCandolle, and it must be regarded as among the 

 triumphs of Darwinism, that such an eminent 

 man is found among Darwin's warm eulogists. 



