THS BESOK. 



In Latin, Fagus ; in French, Hetre. 



143. The Botanical characters are : — It has male and female flowers, on the 

 same tree ; the male flowers are collected into globular heads ; these have 

 no petals, but have several stamina included in an enipalement of one leaf, 

 which are terminated by oblong summits. The female flowers have a one- 

 headed empalement, cut into four parts, but have no petals; the g^ermen is 

 fixed to the empalement, supporting three styles, crowned by fixed stigmas. 

 The germen afterwards becomes a roundish capsule, armed with soft spines, 

 opening in three cells, each containing a ti-iangular nut. 



144. The Beech is a tree so well known in England; it is 

 so well known to be one of the loftiest and biggest and 

 hardiest trees that we have ; it is^ in so many instances, a 

 sort of landmark in the country; its uses are so well known, 

 and the beauty of its foliage, in the fall of the year, has 

 been the theme of so many poets ; that to give any descrip- 

 tion of its height, bulk, uses, or hue, would be almost an 

 insult to the English reader ; I shall, therefore, go at 

 once into those matters which readers, in general, are not 

 well acquainted with. 



145. The seed of the Beech is a nut, contained in a thick 

 and rather prickly husk. This nut is of a triangular shape, 

 and is covered by a double coat, like that of a Chesnut, 

 from which the kernel differs not very much in taste. These 

 seeds drop from the trees, or are beaten off from them, in the 

 months of October and November. They should be so ripe, 

 as to fall out of the prickly husk or shell of their own accord. 

 When collected together they should be laid in the sun, or 

 hung' up in small quantities in bags, in some room where 

 fu-e is constantly kept, in order that they may become per- 

 fectly dry on the outside; but they ought not to continue in 



