C A 



C A 



The Species are ; 



1. Castanea jati'va. C. B. The 

 common or manured Cheftnut. 



2. Castanea fati<va, foliis ele- 

 ganter uariegatis. The ftriped Cheft- 

 nut. 



3. Castanea bumilis racemofa. 

 C. B. P. Dwarf branching Cheit- 

 nut. 



4. Castanea pumilis Virginiana, 

 racemofo fruclu parnjo, in fingulis cap- 

 fulis echinato, unico. Banift. Pluk. 

 Aim. The Chiquapin, or Dwarf 

 Virginian Cheftnut. 



5. Castanea Americana, amplif - 

 Jimo folio, fruQu. maxima echinato. 

 American Cheftnut, with an ample 

 Leaf, and the largeft prickly Fruit. 



"There are. feveral Varieties of the 

 common Cheftnut, which differ in 

 the Size of their Fruit : thofe with 

 the very large Fruit the French call 

 Maronier, and the fmall Fruit they 

 call Chateignicr ; and they bud the 

 former upon the latter, to have bet- 

 ter Fruit ; which is w hat mould be 

 always done, where they are planted 

 for the fake of their Fruit. 



The third Sort I believe to be only 

 an accidental Variety, and not a di- 

 ftinct Species, fo not worth the Trou- 

 ble of cultivating. 



The fifth Sort was found in fome 

 of the French Settlements in Ame- 

 rica by Father Plumier, who made 

 a new Genus of it, giving it the Ti- 

 tle of Sloania, in Honour to Hans 

 Sloane, Bart. Phyfician to his Majefty 

 King George ; but it mould not be 

 feparated from the Cheftnut, as it 

 only differs from that in having four 

 Nuts inclofed in each Hufk ; where- 

 as the Cheftnut has but three : the 

 outward Cover to this Fruit is very 

 large, and extremely armed with 

 lharp Spines, which are as trouble- 

 fome to handle as the Skin of an 

 Hedghog : thefe Nuts are very fweet 

 and whoilome, . but are not fo large 



as thofe of the common Cheft- 

 nut. 



This Sort grows plentifully in 

 South Carolina, from whence the 

 Fruit has been fent to England: it 

 may probably be the fame Sort 

 which grows in Virginia-, but as I 

 have not feen the outer Cover of 

 thofe Nuts, I cannot take upon m<c 

 to affirm they are fo. 



The firft of thefe Trees was for- 

 merly in greater Plenty amongft us 

 than at prefent, as may be prov'd 

 by the old Buildings in London, \\W\<ik 

 were for the moll part of this Tim- 

 ber ; and in a Defcription of Lon- 

 don,\vr'men by Fitz-Stephens, in Henry 

 the Second's time, he fpeaks of a 

 very noble Foreft, which grew on 

 the North Part of it : Proxime (fays 

 he) patet forefla ingms, fait us name* 

 rofi ferarum, latebrsr cervorutx, da- 

 marum, aprorum, £if taurorum f\ J<ve- 

 frium, Sec. And there are fome 

 Remains of old decay'd Cheftnuts in 

 the old Woods and Chaces not far 

 diftant from London ; which plainly 

 prove?, that this Tree is not fo great 

 a Stranger to our Climate as many 

 People believe, and may be cultiva- 

 ted in England, to afford an equal 

 Profit with any of the larger T im- 

 ber-trees, fince the Wood of this 

 Tree is equal in Value to the beft 

 Oak, and, for many Purpofes, far 

 exceeding it ; as particularly, for 

 making Veffels for all Kinds of Li- 

 quor, it having a Property (when 

 once thoroughly feafon'd) of main- 

 taining its Bulk conftantly, and is not 

 fubject to (brink or fvvell, as other 

 Timber is too apt to do : and I am 

 certainly informed, that all the large 

 Cafks, Tuns, tjfe. for their Wines in 

 Italy are made of this Timber ; and 

 it is for that, and many more Pur- 

 pofes, in greater Efteem among the 

 Italians than any other Timber 

 whatever. Li is alfo very valuable 



for 



