The Chestnut 129 



are tightly sealed up in a waterproof safe, and 

 over all is a prickly coat looking much like that 

 of a hedgehog. 



The tree itself has dark brown, furrowed bark, 

 and a soft brown wood. It is used for railroad 

 ties, for fence posts, and for making cheap fur- 

 niture, and lasts for many years, even when 

 exposed to the rain and sun. An extract for 

 tanning leather is made from the bark and wood. 



"And when the winds of autumn, with a shout, 



Tossed its great arms about, 

 The shining chestnuts, bursting from the sheath, 

 Dropped to the ground beneath." 



A few years ago, a fungous disease known as the 

 "chestnut blight," which we have already de- 

 scribed on page 77, began to attack the chestnut 

 trees in the vicinity of New York. It spread into 

 the New England states and also to the west and 

 south, causing the destruction of entire forests 

 as well as of individual trees. The loss thus oc- 

 casioned to owners of timber has been great, 

 amounting to millions of dollars. No means of 

 checking the disease has yet been discovered. 



STORY OF THE FOREST - 9 



