iTl CONVERSATIONS ON THE 



about two inches wide, with very large, deep, 

 sharp-pointed teeth, and ribs running all 

 along from the stem in the centre to the 

 edges. The flowers are very small, and grow 

 in long slender bunches or stalks, somewhat 

 like the seeds of the plantain that people give 

 to birds ; they are whitish, and have an un- 

 pleasant smell. The fruit I suppose you can 

 describe to me." 



" Oh, you mean the nuts. Uncle Philip ; 

 they are very nice raw, and boiled, too, and I 

 have heard that they are good roasted, but I 

 never tried them that way. They grow two 

 together in a large thick husk, covered all 

 over with sharp stiff prickles, standing as 

 thick as they can ; they hurt us sometimes 

 when we take them up in our hands." . 



" I see you understand them very well : 

 the wood of the chestnut is strong and elastic, 

 and bears exposure to changes of dryness and 

 damp remarkably well, and this makes it a 

 very good material for posts and fences : I 

 have heard it said that chestnut rails well 

 seasoned will last nearly fifty years : chest* 

 nut-wood makes very good shingles, too, 

 but they are apt to warp ; it is also used for 

 staves for flour-barrels, and sugar-barrels 



