In the spring the large chocolate-colored buds begin to swell and the 

 varnished coats that protected them during the winter soften. First one 

 pair and then another pair of delicate green leaflets make their appearance. 



"When drooping chestnut buds began 

 To spread into the perfect fan." 



Finally there is a dense foliage of leaves, each composed of seven leaflets 

 arranged in a palmate manner, each broad at the outer end and tapering 

 towards the point of their insertion on their common leaf-stalk., 



Just as the leaves are spreading themselves "but of the terminal buds, 

 the large flower spikes rise between the last pair. When in full flower the tree 

 has been called the "Giant's Nosegay," while the children think of it as a huge 

 Christmas tree covered with white tapers. 



In the fall the leaves become bronzed and fall, leaving horse-shoe like 

 scars, nail marks and all, on the branches. The large polished brown seeds 

 which are wrapped in leathery overcoats on the tree are not good to eat, but 

 children value them for their games. It is said that the Turks pounded them 

 up and fed them to their horses to improve their wind. 



The horse chestnut has been successfully planted on California city streets, 

 particularly in Hayward. It has been a favorite tree for avenues and parks 

 in Europe for centuries, one of the finest avenues in the world being in Bushey 

 Park, near London. Five rows of the trees stand on either side of the avenue 

 and when they are in bloom they afford a superb sight, "a pyramid of green 

 supporting a thousand pyramids of white." There are over 17,000 horse 

 chestnut trees on the streets of Paris. Their main objection is the continual 

 dropping that takes place throughout the year, either of leaves, flowers, or 

 nuts. 



HYMENOSPORUM 



The Hymenosporum ( Hymenosporum flavum ) is an Australian evergreen 

 tree or shrub which is closely related to the Pittosporums, but which excels 

 them in many particulars. It has a pyramidal growth with drooping branches 

 which are laden in spring with a profusion of jasmine shaped and jasmine 

 scented yellow flowers. It is a free bloomer over a long period. The leaves 

 are smooth, glossy and light-green in color. 



(79) 



