FOREST TREES. 413 



I have one or two Red Horse-chestnut trees (/Esculus rubicundd), 

 from North America, which are of lower and slower growth than the 

 common horse-chestnut. The red chestnut is one of the most beautiful 

 trees which can be grown on a large lawn. It should stand by itself, 

 and its branches should touch the ground, when the peculiar glossy cha- 

 racter of the foliage, contrasting with pink blossoms, renders it highly 

 ornamental. There is a yellow horse-chestnut, which I grow, but it is 

 not particularly beautiful, and may be dispensed with, except when 

 there is ample room, and great variety needed. 



The Lime may be seen in the highest perfection in Beddington 

 Park from my garden. It is called the Tilia europcea (fig. 938), 

 or Linden-tree, and has been the theme of admiration of German 

 poets. The exquisite forms of some of the ^^ 



Park specimens greatly adorn our landscape. "^^mI^^. 



There was once a grand avenue of limes, '"^^^^^S^'^ 



but many have been destroyed by the- ''IS^^^^sIii* 

 builder since he invaded this charming spot. -r-tjf^^^^P*^'^" 

 The tracery of the branches of the Lime- •' 'd^^^^^^.j:* 

 tree seen against a clear blue sky in »..^''l^teM8|^^iU ?^ 

 winter is highly elegant, and then I never ""l^^^^^^^^, 

 can look at it without delight. The odour 8 ^W^|^^^^ § 

 of the flower in summer is delicious. Two , '?; -"' - -jE ^j ^aswr 

 fine lime-trees grow in the Bank of England ^^*^SfJr' ^ 



before the windows of the parlour, in the fig. gjs.-Lime. 



former churchyard of St. Christopher-le-Storks. The mats with 

 which we cover our plants in winter are made in Russia from its 

 inner bark, and gardeners use strips of this bark to tie up their 

 plants. Horace says that he was displeased to see garlands tied 

 with the inner bark of the linden : " Displicent nexae philyri 

 coronse." Herodotus says : " The Scythian divines take also the 

 leaves of the lime-tree, which, dividing into three parts, they twine 

 round their fingers ; they then unbind it, and exercise the art to 

 which they pretend." The aphides' which live upon it make so 

 much honeydew, that food is prepared for thousands of bees, wasps. 



