CHESTNUT TREK. 99 



ground, at thirty feet distance from each other, and six 

 feet from the top of the ditch." 



Miller remarks, that considerable plantations of Chest- 

 nut have been made in the north of Great Britain. The 

 Earl of Fife planted above sixty thousand trees in the 

 county of Murray. In England, Mr. Windham's plan- 

 tations in Norfolk, made in 1776 ; upwards of 3,000 

 by Mr. J. Mace, at Ashford, in Kent ; 8,000 by John 

 Sneyd, Esq. at Belmont, in Staffordshire, planted about 

 the year 1785 ; and six acres in Carlton Forest, by Mr. 

 J. Cowlishaw, planted with above 1,800 of these trees, 

 with larch, ash, &c. 



Evelyn, speaking of the fruit, observes, that " We give 

 that fruit to our swine in England which is among the 

 delicacies of princes in other countries ; and being of the 

 large nut kind, is a lusty and masculine food for rustics 

 at all times, and of better nourishment for husbandmen 

 than cole and rusty bacon, yea or beans to boot, instead of 

 which, they boil them in Italy with their bacon ; and in 

 Virgil's time they ate them with milk and cheese : 



' Sunt nobis mitia poma, 



Castanese molles, et press! copia lactis.' 



Eclogue i. 



' Chestnuts, and curds and cream shall be our fare.' 

 " Again : in the second pastoral, he says 



' Ipse ego cana legam tenera lanugine mala, 

 Castaneasque nuces, mea quas Amaryllis ainabat , 

 Addam cerea pruna ; et honos erit huic quoque porno.' 



" Rendered by Dry den 



' Myself will search our planted grounds at home, 

 For downy peaches and the glossy plum ; 

 And thrash the chestnuts in the neighbouring grove, 

 Such as my Amaryllis used to love.' 



H2 



