158 THE HORSE-CHESTNUT. 



flower-cone reduces them in size. As a rule the lea\'es appear early in 

 the vear, and tall in earlv autumn. Init, as with other species, in- 

 dividual trees may be noted which habitually come into leaf sooner 

 or later than their lellows. In autumn the leaves take on tints of 

 red and yellow, which appear to be brightest in the neighbourhood 

 of water. 



THE BRANCHES. 



The twigs which are tew in number, and do not interlace, are con- 

 spicuous bv their stoutness. Thev are dotted over with lighter-coloured 

 spots which indicate the breathing holes ot the inner bark ; while in the 

 winter, under each pair ot buds are scars, the shape of a horse-shoe, 

 which show where the leaf-petioles ot a tormer season were articu- 

 lated. The regular arrangement ot the bud> does not result in any 

 very regular growth of the branches, for the shoots are otten not 

 continued by the true terminal buds but by a pair ot lateral ones 

 forming just below it, and ot these one commonly dies back. In 

 Order to suppfirt the le.it-petioles the twigs must be vertical, or 

 nearly so ; consequently boughs which have become piendent com- 

 pensate for this by curving upwarii at the tips. The curves are in 

 strong contrast to the sharp angles formed by the twigs. The central 

 branches spread to the longest ilistance from the trunk, making the 

 circumference of the tree greatest at half its height Ironi the ground. 



In old trees the weiirht of tlie lower boULihs bend them to the 

 earth, where they remain and again send u[i branches in a \'ertical 

 direction ; in grazing lands, however, this, the natural growth ot the 

 lower boughs, is in manv cases destroyed, and seen trom a distance 

 the base of the tree forms an even line, parallel to the ground, just 



