HORSE-CHESNUT. BUDS. 99 







and you know how beautiful the buds and-flowers 

 are, in the months of April and May. The tree 

 affords a fine shade while the leaves remain upon 

 it, but as they begin to fall in July, it soon loses its 

 beauty. Deer are particularly fond of the nuts ; 

 which, in Turkey, are ground and mixed with the 

 horses' food: and in England a paste or size is 

 prepared from them, which is preferred by book- 

 binders and paper-hangers to that made from 

 wheaten flour. 



EDWARD. 



Is the wood of the Horse-chesnut made any 

 use of ? 



MOTHER. 



None, that I know of, except for water-pipes 

 underground ; but I have heard that the bark is 

 sometimes used in medicine. The prickly husks 

 of the nuts are used in tanning leather. 



In England and all cold climates, trees and 

 shrubs are universally provided with buds ; which 

 seem to be intended to protect the new parts about 

 to be added to the plant, from the cold ; since the 

 same trees which are furnished with buds in our 

 climate do not produce them in hot countries. 

 The bud of the Horse-chesnut is remarkably large 

 and beautiful. 



The eighth class, Octandria, contains a very 

 numerous and beautiful genus, that of the Heaths, 

 Eri'ca, which is confined entirely to Europe and 

 H 2 



