CHESTNUT. ELM. PINES. 141 



125. The chestnuts Casta'nea form another genus of the 

 same family as the preceding; the fruit is a species of nut with 

 a single cell, which encloses two or three seeds containing a good 

 deal of fecula, and is entirely enveloped by the cupule, the sur- 

 face of which is studded with sharp points. The common chest- 

 nut is a large beautiful tree which grows spontaneously in the 

 forests, nearly throughout Europe and different parts of North 

 America; it sometimes acquires an enormous size; there is one 

 on Mount Etna said to be one hundred and ten feet in circum- 

 ference ; it is hollow, and a little house has been built in its 

 interior, with a hearth where they cook chestnuts which are often 

 gathered from the tree itself. In Cevennes, Limousin, and some 

 other parts of France, the peasants live almost exclusively on 

 chestnuts. The wood is used in building ; it is extremely durable, 

 and in high esteem for posts and rails to construct fences. The 

 chinquapin nut Casta'nea pu'mila is a small tree, or rather a 

 shrub, growing to the height of thirty feet in the Southern States, 

 but scarcely exceeding seven or eight in cold latitudes. The fruit 

 is very sweet and agreeable to eat. 



126. The yoke-elm also belongs to the family of Cupuli'ferae ; 

 the male and female flowers are arranged in catkins, composed 

 of imbricated scales. It is a tree easily shaped by trimming, and 

 for this reason is often employed in Europe for hedges ; it some- 

 times rises to fifty or sixty feet in height, and its wood, which is 

 very hard, is much used by wheelwrights, and for fuel. 



127. A great many European forests are formed of trees of 

 the FAMILY OF CONI'FER^E, which is placed in the class of Di 

 cli'neoc, alongside of the Cupuli'ferra ; they are generally designated 

 under the title of evergreens and resinous trees, because they pre- 

 serve their leaves through the winter, and because their wood 

 contains a great quantity of resin (commonly called rosin). 

 Almost all of them have stiff, linear, coriaceous leaves ; their 

 flowers are unisexual, and arranged in cones or catkins which are 

 ordinarily scaly; and generally the fruit also is a scaly qone. 

 Fir trees and pines are types of this family ; these two genera 

 are distinguished from each other by their aspect, by their leaves, 

 which are solitary on the fir tree, and united in fasciculi or 

 bunches of from two to five on the pines ; by the male flowers, 

 the catkins of which are isolated and solitary on the pines, and 

 united and grouped on the fir tree, and by several other charac- 

 teristics. Both delight in mountainous regions, and on sandy 



1 25. What are the characters of the chestnut tree ? What plant furnishes 

 chinquapins ? 



126. What are the characters of the yoke-elm? 



127. What are the characters of the family of Coni'ferse ? (from the Latin, 

 com/8, a cone, and /cro, I bear.) Where do pines most abound ? 



