DECIDUOUS ORNAMENTAL TREES. 
183 
before Brydone, affirms that an entire flock of sheep might 
be enclosed within the Etna chestnut, as in a fold.* ( Ar- 
boretum Brit. p. 1988.) 
In considering the chestnut as highly edapted to ornament 
the grounds of extensive country residences, much that we 
have already said of the oak will apply to this tree. When 
young, its smooth stem, clear and bright foliage, and lively 
aspect, when adorned with the numerous light greenish yel- 
low blossoms, which project beyond the mass of leaves, ren- 
der it a graceful and beautiful tree. It has long been a 
favourite with the poets for its grateful shade ; and as the 
roots run deep, the soil beneath it is sufficiently rich and 
sheltered to afford an asylum for the minutest beauties of 
the woods. Tennyson sweetly says — 
“ That slope beneath the chestnut tall 
Is wooed with choicest breaths of air, 
Methinks that I could tell you all 
The cowslips and the king cups there.” 
When old, its huge trunk, wide-spread branches, lofty head, 
and irregular outline, all contribute to render it a picturesque 
tree of the very first class. In that state, when standing 
alone, with free room to develope itself on every side, like 
* One of the most celebrated Chestnut trees on record, is that called the Tort- 
worth Chestnut, in England. In 1772, Lord Ducie, the owner, had a portrait of it 
taken, which was accompanied by the following description : “ The east view 
of the ancient Chestnut tree at Tortworth, in the county of Gloucester, which 
measures nineteen yards in circumference, and is mentioned by Sir Robert Aikins 
in his history of that county, as a famous tree in King John’s reign : and by Mr. 
Evelyn in his Sylva, to have been so remarkable in the reign of King Stephen, 
1135, as then to be called the great Chestnut of Tortworth ; from which, it may 
reasonably be presumed to have been standing before the conquest, 1066.” This 
tree is still standing. 
