124 THE FRUITS OF THE COUNTRY-SIDE 



pea-green," while yet one more, and he of much more 

 prosaic mould, declares the colour raw and crude, and out 

 of harmony with its surroundings. The leaves are in 

 small bunches, looking like little tufts of grass along the 

 stems, each leaf being about an inch long. 



The larch is moncEcious, developing its flowers in April. 

 The stamen-bearers are in little yellow spherical clusters, 

 adherent to the branches ; while the pistillate flowers are 

 in ovate cones, an inch or so in length, and borne erect 

 upon footstalks. The cones, when young, are of a very 

 pleasing pink and purple colour, and ultimately turn brown 

 and woody ; remaining, as we have seen in the Scotch 

 pine, on the boughs in this hardened condition long after 

 the seeds are dispersed. The scales have their edges turned 

 outwards, and have at their base the ovate seed, half 

 surrounded by its broad membranous wing. 



SPANISH CHESTNUT (Castanea Vesca) 



The Spanish Chestnut, Castanea vesca. Botanical autho- 

 rities appear to have decided that this tree is not really a 

 native of these islands, and one great reason for their belief, 

 and it is not at all a bad reason, is that it does not often fully 

 ripen its fruit here, as we might expect an aboriginal to do ; 

 and they declare that it was introduced by the Romans. 

 As they were in possession here for some four hundred years, 

 it is very natural to assume that they would bring hither 

 the hardier kinds of trees, and especially those that in their 

 native country they valued as producers of food. Tradition 

 hath it that the tree was brought to Rome from Asia 

 Minor by the Emperor Tiberius, and that it thence quickly 



