192 THE HORSE CHESTNUT. 



hyacinth, lupine-tree, giant's nosegay : this last name in 

 particular suggests a correct notion of its vastness and 

 showy appearance. The flowers, though exquisitely beau- 

 tiful so long as they continue in perfection, soon become 

 tarnished, and the tree consequently loses much of its 

 grace, yet it is still a fine tree, readily distinguished at 

 a considerable distance by its tiers of large and massive 

 foliage. Out of the numerous flowers contained in every 

 bunch, a few only mature their fruit, the rest drop off 

 soon after they have begun to lose their beauty. The 

 seed-vessels, which are prickly, or rather thorny, attain 

 their full size in October, when they fall off, and, splitting 

 with even-edged valves, disclose three cells, in each of 

 which is contained a roundish polished nut, resembling 

 the sweet Chestnut in colour, but not, like it, terminating 

 in a point. It rarely happens that all three nuts are 

 perfected ; frequently only two are developed, but the 

 rudiments of all may be discovered. 



The Horse Chestnut is one of the first trees to remind 

 us of the approach of winter, for its leaves begin to change 

 colour in July, and very soon to fall ; but, as if to atone 

 for this defect, its buds destined to expand in the suc- 

 ceeding spring have made so great advance as to be already 

 conspicuous objects. 



As an ornament to the landscape, we have seen that 

 the Horse Chestnut, when attired in its spring drapery, 

 is unrivalled ; it can scarcely, however, lay any claim to 

 the possession of picturesque beauty. In this respect, 

 Gilpin, a great authority on such subjects, pronounces 

 an opinion far from laudatory, as indeed we might natu- 

 rally expect ; for the particular beauties of the Horse 

 Chestnut are not such that they could be represented with 

 effect, if at all, in a picture. 



The nuts of this tree, though not deleterious, are unfit 

 for human food, being very bitter. They may, however, 

 be applied to so many useful purposes, that it is strange 

 they are so much neglected. Their medicinal efficacy on 



