^ S G 
num vulgare. Tourn. Inft. Caftanea equini. Cluf. 
Hift. i. p. 7. 
2. dSscuLus {Pavia) floribus oftandris. Lin. Sp. 488. 
Scarlet Horfe Chefinut. Pavia. Boerh. Ind. Ait. 2. p. 260. 
The Horfe Cheftnut was brought from the northern 
parts of Afia about the year 1 5 50, and was lent to 
Vienna about the year 1588. It was called Caftanea 
from the fhape of its fruit, and the title of Equini was 
added to it from its being a good food for hories 
when ground. 
This tree was in much greater efteem formerly than 
at prefent, for fince it is become fo very common, few 
perfons regard it. What has occafioned its being fo 
feldom planted, is the decay of the leaves early in 
fummer •, fo that where they are growing in gardens, 
their leaves frequently begin to fail in July, and occa- 
fion a litter from that time, until all the leaves 
are fallen; but notwithftanding this inconvenience, 
the tree has great merit, for it affords a noble fhade 
in fummer; and during the time of its flowering, there 
is no tree has greater beauty, for the extremity of the 
branches are terminated by fine fpikes of flowers, fo 
that every part of the tree leems covered with them ; 
which are finely fpotted with a rofe colour, and thefe 
being intermixed with the green leaves make a noble 
O O 
appearance. 
The former method of planting thefe trees in avenues 
and ftrait lines, has aifo been in fome mealure the 
occafion of their prefent difrepute, becaufe in fuch 
plantations great part of their beauty is loft ; for when 
their branches are fo far extended as to nearly meet, 
moft of the flowers which are produced are hid from 
fight, and as the trees grow larger, their branches 
will interfere with each other, and produce few flow- 
ers ; the leaves will alfo decay much fooner in clofe 
plantations, than on Angle trees : therefore the great 
beauty of them is, to ftand finely at a diftance from 
all other trees, upon lawns of grabs in parks, where 
their fruit will be of great fervice to deer, who are 
very fond of them. In fuch fituations, when the trees 
are grown to a good fize, there is not a finer objed 
than they will afford during their feafon of flowering, 
which is in May, and when the weather is moderate, 
they will continue in beauty near a month. 
As this tree is quick in its growth, fo in a few years 
they will arrive to a fize large enough to afford a good 
fhade in fummer, as alfo to produce plenty of flowers. 
I have known trees which were railed from nuts, in 
twelve or fourteen years, large enough to fhade two 
or three chairs under the fpread of their branches, and 
have been covered with flowers in the feafon, fo that 
few trees make greater progrefs than thefe. But as 
their wood is of little value, the trees ihould not be 
propagated in too great plenty : a few therefore of 
them placed at proper diftances in parks for ornament 
is as many as Ihould be preferved, the wood not being 
fit even for burning, nor any other ufe that I know of. 
Thefe trees are propagated by lowing the nuts ; the 
bell time for doing this is early in the fpring ; but the 
nuts Ihould be preferved in fand during the winter, 
otherwife they are apt to grow mouldy and rot. They 
may indeed be planted in autumn, but then they will 
be in danger of rotting if the winter Ihould prove very 
wet, as aifo of being removed or eaten by vermin. 
When the nuts fucceed, and have a proper foil, the 
plants will Ihoot near a foot the firft fummer ; fo that 
where they grow pretty clofe together, it will be pro- 
per to tranfpiant them the following autumn, when 
they ought to be planted in rows at three feet diftance, 
and one foot afunder in the rows : in this nurfery they 
may remain two years, by which time they will be fit 
to plant where they are defigned to be continued; for 
the younger thefe trees are planted out, the larger 
they will grow. But there are many who will objedl 
to their being planted out young in parks, becaufe 
they will require a fence to fecure them againft the 
cattle ; which will alfo be neceffary, whatever fize 
they are when planted ; and if large, they muft be 
well ftaked to prevent their being difplaced by ftrong 
winds : which is another expence, and when we con- j 
fider how much falter a young tree will grow, than 
thofe which are removed at a greater age, there can 
be no excufe foiv planting large trees. 
This tree is not very nice in its culture, for it requires 
little care in the management, and will thrive in moft 
foils and fituations, but in a fandy loam they make 
the greateft progrefs ; and if the foil b'e inclining to 
moifture, the leaves will continue in verdure much 
longer, than in very dry ground. 
When thefe trees are tranfplanted, their roots fhould 
be preferved as entire as poflibie, tor they do not fuc- 
ceed well, when torn or cut ; nor fhould any of the 
branches be fhortened, for there is, fcarce- any tree,^ 
which will not bear amputation better than this ; fo" 
that when any branches are by accident broken, they 
fhould be cut off clofe to the Item, that the wound 
may heal over. 
There is fomething very Angular in the growth of 
thefe trees, which is the whole flioot being performed 
in iefs than three weeks, after the buds are opened ; 
in which time I have meafured fhoots a foot and a half 
long, with their leaves fully expanded : and no fooner 
are the flowers fallen, than the buds for the fucceeding 
year are formed, which continue fwelling till autumn ; 
at which time the folding covers are fpread over with 
a thick tenacious juice, which ferves as a pigment to 
defend the tender buds from the froft and rain in 
winter ; but upon the firft return of warmth in the 
fpring, this melts and runs off. whereby the bud is at 
full liberty to extend. And what is remarkable in 
this pigment, it is never fo far hardened as to injure 
the tender buds, which are always formed at the ex- 
tremity of the former year’s fhoot ; a plain direction 
not to lfiorten them, for by fo doing, the future fhoots 
are entirely cut off. 
In Turkey the nuts of this tree are ground, and mixed 
with the provender for their horfes, efpecially thofe 
which are troubled with coughs, or are broken winded;, 
in both which diforders, they are accounted very 
good. Deer are very fond of the fruit, and at the 
time of their ripening will keep much about the trees, 
but efpecially in ftrong winds, when the nuts are 
blown down, which they carefully watch, and greedily 
devour as they fall. 
There are fome old trees now Handing, which were 
planted Angle, at a great diftance from any other ; 
thefe are grown to a very large fize, and their heads 
form a natural parabola, and when their flowers are 
in full beauty, there is not any tree yet known in 
Europe, which makes fo fine an appearance. I have 
meafured fome of thefe trees, whole branches have 
extended more than thirty feet in diameter, and their 
heads have been fo clofe, as to afford a perfect fhade 
in the hotteft feafons. Thefe were planted in 1679, 
as appears by fome writings which are in the poiTeflion 
of the perfons, who have now the property of the 
land where they grow fo that although they are of 
quick growth, yet they are not of fhort duration. 
The Scarlet Horfe Cheftnut grows naturally in North 
America, where it rifes to the height of twenty feet, 
but does not fpread its branches to any great extent, 
the flowers are wholly red, which are much fmaller 
than thofe of the common fort, they are tubulous, 
but want brims to expand, fo make but an indifferent 
appearance, when compared to the other : however 
for variety this fhould have a*p^ ace ln gardens. 
It may be propagated by the nuts, if they are pro- 
cured from the country where the trees naturally 
grow ; for the feafons are feldom favourable enough 
to ripen them in England. The nuts fhould be fown 
in pots early in the fpring, and the pots plunged into 
a moderate hot-bed to forward their growth; toward 
the end of May, the pot Ihould be plunged into the 
ground in a fouth-eaft border, and in dry weather the 
plants fhould be duly watered, whereby they will ac- 
quire ftrength by the autumn ; when it will be very 
proper to icreen the plants from early frofts which, 
often pinch the top buds, and occafion their decay in 
the winter, for while the plants are young they are 
impatient of frofts, but when they have obtained 
ftrength 
Li 
