145 



The Spanish or Sweet Chesnut (Castanea vesca) is a stately, tall, and 

 round-headed tree, with beautiful bright green serrated and oblong leaves. 

 Its clustered spiky blossoms (though of a dead yellow green) have a peculiarly 

 pleasing appearance in July and August, and the tree is not less interesting 

 in the autumn, when studded with its spiny fruit. There are some immense 

 trees of this kind in Edgbaston Park, the seat of Lord Calthorp, where I saw 

 them at the close of July, 1848, looking particularly grand and majestic. 

 They ought to be far more frequently introduced than at present. 



The Horse Chesnut (sEsculns hippocastanum) is a robust, round-headed 

 tree, with large palmated leaves, and spiky cream-coloured flowers. It is 

 beautiful when in blossom and full of foliage, but, except when aged, its 

 general appearance is stiff and formal, especially when stripped of its summer 

 dress. It is, therefore, comparatively uninteresting in general scenery. This 

 may also be said of the scarlet and yellow varieties — the former beautiful for 

 its scarlet blossoms, and the latter for its different foliage ; consequently, all 

 the varieties may share in forming groups occasionally in connection with the 

 sycamore and the Western plane tree, with pleasing effect. 



The Cedar of Lebanon (Cedrus Libani) is one of the most noble and 

 picturesque evergreen trees we have. One which was measured in the 

 memorial groups on the snowy heights of Lebanon, was of the extra- 

 ordinary dimensions of thirty-six feet six inches in girth, and thirty-seven 

 yards in the spread of its boughs. At six yards from the ground it was 

 divided into five limbs, each equal to a large tree. From some of the 

 most recent accounts, we learn that only very few of these splendid and 

 interesting trees now exist in their native locality. Lamartine names seven, 

 which, he says, " from their massiveness can be presumed contemporaries of 

 the Bibhcal era." In addition to the remarkably picturesque beauty of this 

 tree, its scriptural associations invest it with peculiar interest. Loudon 

 suggests the propriety of planting it in whole forests, for the sake of producing 

 an imposing effect. In this opinion, however, I differ from him. As the 

 Cedar of Lebanon is an evergreen, and of formal habits, there would be too 

 much sameness of effect and too great depth of colour. Still a few masses, 

 and large and small groups, thrown into extensively wooded scenery, would 

 be striking, particularly if some were varied by the introduction of a few 

 larches, silver firs, and pines of sorts ; and in large masses a few of most of 



u 



