THE PRACTICAL GARDENER. 



almost any other tribe of trees taken collectively. From the 

 many venerable specimens of hippocaslanum^ the com- 

 mon horse-chestnut, which are to be met with surrounding 

 the mansions of the great, seem to prove the attachment which 

 our ancestors entertained for this tree, and also that some care 

 had been paid to their early cultivation, as they are natives 

 of the north of Asia, and introduced here in 1629. The 

 beauty of the flowers, and elegant form of this tree, and not 

 the value of its timber, render it an object of interest. This 

 tree is supposed to have been brought into Europe by way of 

 Vienna, from thence into Italy, and then into France and 

 England ; but Langley is of opinion that it was brought into 

 England fi*om the Levant. 



The y^J. pavla^ Jlava, 2^(ff't' {flora, yE. discolor y 

 and hybrida, lately and very justly formed into a separate 

 genus, under the denomination of Pavia, are of humble growth 

 compared with those allied to the /E. hippocastanum ; they 

 are nevertheless exceedingly ornamental, planted either on 

 the lawn or in the fronts of shrubberies. 



The Lime family, or Linden-tree, Tilia jjlatf/phi/Ha, T. 

 curopea, of English botany, are amongst the most elegant 

 ornamental trees, and attain a large size. When planted suf- 

 ficiently distant from other trees, they often assume a head 

 perfectly conical. Our ancestors seem to have chosen them 

 for planting avenues, when tliat style of planting was in vogue. 

 Evelyn was so partial to the lime, probably from its supposed 

 medicinal properties, that he purposed planting one before 

 every door in all the broad streets of London. 



The Walnut family, Jungians, are both ornamental and 

 useful as a timber-tree, and the fruit adds to the variety of our 

 deserts. They are natives of America. The J. regia com- 

 mon walnut is, however, indigenous to Persia, whence it was 

 brought into this country. It is said that trees of this species, 

 which have their fruit beaten off instead of being gathered, 

 are more fruitful ; and, agreeably to this idea, the Italians 

 beat or thrash their trees with poles full of nails or stubs of 

 iron, on purpose to lacerate the bark. 



The Elm family. — In point of utility, few trees can surpass 

 our native common elm, Ulmus campcstris (of English 



