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 
