HORSE CHESTNUT 129 



the fruit to that of the chestnut. Why it should be at all 

 identified with a horse opens up a question. Some will tell 

 us that it is because the fruit is given to horses, while others 

 remind us that where a plant somewhat resembles another, 

 but is coarser and larger in growth, it sometimes gets 

 " horse " as a prefix to its name, horse-mint and horse- 

 radish being examples of this. The foliage of the horse 

 chestnut is larger and more massive-looking than that of 

 the Spanish chestnut, but yet one could scarcely speak 

 of the one tree as being a coarse version of the other. 



The claims of the horse chestnut to a place in our 

 book are painfully slight, as it has not been known in 

 England three hundred years ; still, it is now so common 

 and so well known that it could scarcely be denied mention. 

 It was brought from Central Asia, about the year 1550, 

 to Constantinople, and thence spread over Europe. We 

 find that Gerard, writing in the year 1597, says, " the horse- 

 chestnut groweth in Italic, and in sundry places of the 

 East countries"; but in his edition of 1633 we are told 

 " it is now growing with Mr. Tradescant at South 

 Lambeth." 



Its chief claim to a place in our regard is its ornamental 

 character, as neither its fruit nor its timber are of any 

 service, the nuts being bitter and uneatable, the wood 

 soft, spongy, and lacking durability. The tree grows very 

 rapidly, and, bearing a very ample and dense mass of 

 foliage, may be used to ensure privacy, to screen off 

 unsightly surroundings, or to form an excellent shade 

 for horses and cattle. 



The leaves are of a character quite unlike those of 

 any other of our trees, though they are curiously like, on 



9 



