Handbook of Trees of the JSToetheen States and Canada. 135 



When growing in the forests the Chestnut 

 tree attains the height of 100 ft. with straight 

 columnar trunk 3 or 4 ft. in diameter vested 

 in a grayish brown shallow-ridged bark. It 

 is in the open fields, however, that it shows 

 best its noble form and proportions. There it 

 develops a very large broad or rounded head 

 sometimes covering an area 100 ft. across with 

 massive branches and short sturdy trunk 

 sometimes 8, 10 or even 12 ft. in thickness. 

 Its long handsome leaves always give it a 

 peculiar charm, but its beauty is greatly en- 

 hanced in early summer when it puts out its 

 great clusters of fragrant golden catkins. 

 These are succeeded in a few weeks bj' its 

 hardly less conspicuous pale green clusters of 

 fruit, the precious nature of which is indicated 

 by the forbidding barricade of sharp spines 

 which effectually protects it until ripe, and 

 then, opening, cast it out to be eagerly coveted 

 by both man and beast. 



Chestnut wood, a cu. ft. of which when abso- 

 lutely dry weighs 28.07 lbs., is very durable 

 in contact with the soil and makes useful 

 lumber for many purposes. It is also rich in 

 tannin, which is extracted and used for tan- 

 ning purposes. 2 



Learcs oblong-IaacpolatP. 6-9 in. long, cuneate, 

 roundpd or obtnsp at base, pubescent at first, 

 glabrous both sides and firm at maturity, dark 

 green above, paler beneath ; petioles short, stout, 

 puberulous. Floicer.*^: (.Tune-.TuIy) : staminate 

 aments numerous. >VtJ in. long with stout tomen- 

 tosp stems ; androg.vnous aments 2V2--^ in lone. 

 Fruit nut %-l in. long, much corapresspd and 2-3 

 togethpr io each involucre which is globosp. about 

 2 in. in diameter, densely covered with prickles.' 



1. Syn. Castanea vesca var. Americana Michx. 



2. A. W., II, 40. 



3. For genus see p. 430. 



