368 THE HORSE-CHESTNUT. 
lupine tree, etc. ; and, alluding to the gaiety of its blossoms, and 
the manner in which it scatters them on the grass, with the 
comparative worthlessness of its fruit and timber, it has been 
considered an excellent emblem of ostentation. The young 
wood being matured early in the season renders the tree 
adapted to endure cold and unfavourable situations. It is 
only, however, in warm and sheltered places that it yields 
blossoms abundantly, and a high degree of temperature is 
necessary to expand them, and exhibit the tree in its most 
attractive form. 
In favourable seasons the tree generally yields a heavy crop 
of nuts, from which young plants are readily propagated. 
The nuts become ripe about the end of October, and may be 
sown any time during the winter. The seedlings will grow in 
almost any description of soil, but a rich, deep, free loam pro- 
duces them in greatest vigour. The size of the seedlings, how- 
ever, is regulated considerably by the size and soundness‘ of 
the nuts. A bushel of nuts is sufficient for a bed four feet 
wide and twenty yards long. They should be either rolled or 
beaten down with the back of a spade to fix them in their 
places previously to the spreading of the covering, which 
should be from one to one and a half inch deep. 
The seedlings may be transplanted into nursery lines either 
at the age of one or two years, allowing a space of from eight 
to twelve inches between the plants, and about two feet be- 
tween.the lines. The plants should be removed every third 
year thereafter, increasing the space as they advance until they 
are finally situated. The fibrous nature of the roots of this 
tree, particularly after being frequently transplanted, prepares 
it for being removed in safety at a size greater than that at 
which trees in general admit of being transplanted. This 
valuable property fits it, when properly nursed, for immediate 
effect in forming lines and avenues of verdure, and in decorat- 
ing park or lawn scenery, when of a size sufficient to withstand 
the bad effects of cattle or sheep. 
The most celebrated avenue of this tree in England is that 
at Bushypark, near London, and one of the loftiest trees of 
