178 SYLVAN SKETCHES. 



boiled, poultry are fed with them. In Turkey they are 

 ground and mixed with the provender of horses ; which, 

 according to Evelyn, is the origin of their name. When 

 these nuts decay, they turn to a kind of jelly, which has 

 been found a good substitute for soap in washing. The 

 bark of the tree is used in tanning leather. 



The Horse-Chestnut is of very quick growth : Mar- 

 tyn mentions some raised from the nut, that, at twelve or 

 fourteen years of age, would shade several chairs under 

 their branches ; being also covered with flowers. 



The Horse-Chestnut was brought from the northern 

 parts of Asia into Europe, about the year 1550 ; about 

 eight years later it was introduced into Vienna, from 

 whence it migrated to France and Italy ; but to us it 

 came directly from the Levant. Gerarde, in his Herbal, 

 speaks of it only as a foreign tree ; in Johnson's edition 

 of that work, he says, " Horse-Chestnut groweth in 

 Italy, and in sundry places of the east countries; it is 

 now growing with Mr. Tradescant, at South Lambeth." 

 Parkinson says, " our Christian world first had the 

 knowledge of it from Constantinople." He places it as a 

 fruit-tree in his orchard, with the walnut and mulberry ; 

 and how little it was then known (1629) may be learned 

 by his describing the fruit as sweet-flavoured, roasted 

 and eaten as the common chestnut. 



This tree is perhaps as unsightly in the winter, when 

 destitute of leaves, as it is beautiful in full verdure ; the 

 branches appear clumsy and faggot-like : at the ends of 

 the branches, before the leaves shoot out, the buds become 

 very turgid and large; from thence they sprout forth, 

 and in three or four weeks the shoot is full grown ; after 

 that time it increases, indeed, in size and strength, but 

 not in length. These shoots are sometimes a foot and a 



