CASTANEA 



OAK, BEECH, AND BIBGH OBDEB 



FAGUS 801 



varieties, the most showy being aureo- 

 marginata having the leaves beautifully 

 variegated with yellow. This seems to be 

 a rather delicate plant, and should be 

 grown in warm sheltered situations ; Tiete- 

 rophylla d/issecta is another variety in 

 which the leaves are divided into slender 

 thread-like segments. There is also a 

 variety chrysophylla with yellowish 

 leaves, and now called Caatamopsis chry- 

 sophylla. 



Culture amd Propagation. — The 

 Spanish Chestnut flourishes in rich sandy 

 loam, and is fairly hardy in most parts of 

 the kingdom, although it suffers severe 

 injury and is sometimes even killed by 

 hard frosts in Scotland. 



Propagation is effected in the same 

 way as the Oak — by seeds, budding, and 

 grafting. The seeds retain their vitality 

 longer than those of the Oak, and need 

 not be sown until March or February, in 

 drills about 1 ft. apart. The seeds or nuts 

 may be 3 or 4 in. apart ia the drills, and 

 covered with 2-3 in. of good soil. The 

 foUowiug November the strongest of the 

 young seedlings may be transplanted in 

 rows 3 ft. apart, vidth about 2 ft. between 

 each plant, and 3 or 4 years hence wUl 

 have made fine sturdy plants. As with 

 so many other trees the amateur need 

 not worry himself vdth the tedious process 

 of raising his own plants. They can be 

 obtained much more easily from a nursery- 

 man in all stages of growth. 



FAGUS (Bbech). — ^A genus contain- 

 ing about 15 species of deciduous or ever- 

 green trees, rarely shrubs, with alternate 

 feather-veined often toothed leathery 

 leaves and moncecious flowers. Male 

 flowers in long-stalked drooping heads, 

 with a 4-7-lobed perianth, and 8-40 much- 

 protruding stamens. Female flowers 2-4 

 together in a 4-parted involucre, consisting 

 of imbricated bracts, which eventually 

 harden and enclose the triangular or 

 winged usually 1- seeded nuts. 



Culture and Propagation. — The Beech 

 win flourish under the same conditions as 

 the Spanish Chestnut, and it may be mul- 

 tiplied in the same way by seeds, budding, 

 and grafting. The last two operations are 

 usually reserved for rare and choice varie- 

 ties which caimot be obtained quickly 

 from seed. The trees flourish in a rich 

 sandy loam, and as the roots travel just 

 beneath the surface of the soil the latter 

 is benefited by allowing the fallen leaves 



to remain in autumn and winter as a 

 kind of natural top-dressing or mulching. 

 It is imnecessary to say anything here 

 about the beauty of the Beech as a grove 

 and woodland tree. The clean slaty-blue 

 bark, smooth purpUsh twigs, and shining 

 leathery leaves are well known to every- 

 one. Although other species are men- 

 tioned below, none of them equal in beauty 

 and grace our Common Beech and its 

 many fine varieties. Burnham Beeches, 

 first called attention to by the poet Gray, 

 contains many fine examples of immense 

 size. The thickness of the stunted trunks 

 of many has been caused by ' pollarding ' 

 or cutting off the tops. 



F. antarctica. — A deciduous shrub or 

 small tree, native of Tierra del Fuego, 

 recognised by its rugged tvsdsted branches 

 and bluntly ovate doubly toothed leaves 

 IJ in. long, narrowed at the base. 



Culture &c. as above. 



F. betuloides {Evergreen BeeeV}. — An 

 evergreen tree from the same region as 

 the preceding, with bluntly ovate elliptic 

 crenulate leathery shining green leaves. 

 Looks handsome in winter. 



Culture dc. as above. 



F. Cunninghami. — A pretty evergreen 

 Beech, native of Tasmania. It resembles 

 F. hetuloides, but has much smaller and 

 more heart-shaped leaves. 



Culture tic. as above. 



F. ferrug-inea. — A N. American Beech 

 with ovate taper-pointed thickly toothed 

 leaves, rusty downy beneath, and having 

 cUiated edges. It is closely related to the 

 Common Beech, and may be a trans- 

 atlantic form. There are two forms of it 

 known, viz. : latifoUa and macrophylla. 



Culture da. as above. 



F. sylvatica {Common Beech). — A 

 beautiful ornamental British tree 60-100 

 ft. or more high, having oblong ovate 

 obscurely toothed deciduous leaves with 

 ciliated margins. There are many fine 

 varieties, but none of them ever attain the 

 gigantic and graceful proportions of the 

 type. The best known are : cuprea — the 

 well-known Copper Beech — and its near 

 relation purpurea, the Purple Beech, 

 which is the more handsome of the two 

 with its pleasing deep purple foliage ; 

 argenteo-variegata has the leaves striped 

 and blotched with white, and aureo- 



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