THE OTHER HARDWOODS 165 



good loams of course suit them best, and especi- 

 ally such as contain a fair amount of lime. They 

 are, therefore, both eminently suitable, but par- 

 ticularly sycamore, for growth in the beechwoods 

 of the Chilterns, Cotswolds, and other hills in 

 the chalk districts. 



Like the ash, they attain their physical maturity 

 and reach very profitable marketable dimensions 

 at a much earlier age than oak. In many cases 

 they will perhaps yield the best returns at about 

 sixty to seventy years of age, although it may 

 often prove advantageous to let them stand till 

 eighty or ninety years or more, where timber of 

 large dimensions is specially well paid. 



The Sweet or Spanish Chestnut (Castanea vul- 

 garis), one of the trees introduced into Britain 

 during the Roman period, resembles the oak in 

 its general appearance at a distance, its longevity, 

 its deep root-system, its broad crown, and strong, 

 spreading gnarled branches, and in the general 

 appearance and the great durability of its timber. 

 Many of the great beams in old churches and 

 other buildings are of this wood. In parks, the 

 rich golden colour of its foliage in autumn forms 

 a beautiful contrast to other trees with darker 



