THE CHESTNUT. 



23 



have attained the size necessary for it to be em- 

 ployed in the structure of such buildings as West- 

 minster Hall, it must have lost all the properties 

 w^hich recommended it. If cut v^hen not more 

 than fifty years old, it consists almost exclusively 

 of heart-wood, with a layer of alburnum, or sap- 

 wood, equalling in thickness the breadth of the 

 bark ; but when suffered to stand beyond its full 

 growth it is, on good authority, the worst of all 

 timber, being more brittle and more apt to crack 

 and fly into splinters, than any other. In the 

 hop counties the growth of Chestnut-coppice is 

 much encouraged, poles from this tree and the 

 Ash being preferred to all others. Casks, it is 

 said, made of Chestnut-wood contribute much to 

 the colour and quality of the wine, as well as to 

 the preservation of it ; the fermentation is slow, 

 and the wine made in those vessels is sweeter. It 

 has also the property of lasting a long time, 

 when used for water-pipes or other purposes un- 

 der-ground. It is said also to be noxious to 

 spiders and other insects, but this virtue belongs 

 rather to the situation of Oak-beams in old build- 

 ings than to any quality actually residing in Chest- 

 nut. As fuel, it is not held in great estimation, and 

 the charcoal made from it, though not of first-rate 

 quality, is in some places greatly sought after for 

 forges. The bark, especially of young trees, is used 

 for tanning, and sells at half the price of Oak-bark. 



Among the finest specimens of Chestnut-trees 

 now existing in this country, the Tortworth Chest- 

 nut occupies the first place, and according to all 

 accounts is the largest and oldest tree of any kind 

 growing in Great Britain. This fine and most 

 interesting relic of feudal times, tradition tells us, 



