HORSE-CHESNUT. 107 
There is no tree of British growth more admired, or 
more deserving of admiration on account of its brilliant 
appearance at a very early season of the year than the 
chesnut. Its beautiful flowers, in upright conical spikes, 
terminate the brandies on all sides, in such manner that 
sometimes almost the whole tree appears as if it were 
covered by them. 
The fruit of the horse-chesnut has been found of 
considerable use in the fattening of cattle, the tallow 
of which it is said to render peculiarly firm. For this 
purpose, however, as well as for the feeding of sheep, 
it has been considered advantageous to macerate the 
nuts in lime water, or in caustic alkali, to deprive them 
of their bitterness ; and, afterwards, to wash them in 
water, and boil them into a paste. Goats and deer are 
partial to these nuts ; but they are said to be unwhole- 
some for swine. In Turkey they are ground and mixed 
with provender for horses; and, if they could be wholly 
divested of their bitterness and acrimony, it is supposed 
they might be converted into bread. A patent was 
granted, in the year 1796, to Lord W. Murray for his 
discovery of a method of extracting starch from horse- 
chesnuts ; and a paste or size has been made from 
them, which is preferred by book-binders, shoe-makers, 
and paper-hangers, to that made from wheaten flower. 
They contain a soapy quality, and are used, in some 
parts of France and Switzerland, for cleaning woollens, 
and for the washing and bleaching of linen ; and, if 
ground and made into cakes or balls, it is supposed 
they might answer the purpose of soap, both in washing 
and fulling. If a small portion of horse-chesnut, in a 
state of powder, be snuffed up the nostrils, it excites 
sneezing ; and even an infusion or decoction of it has 
been said to produce a similar effect. These have con- 
sequently been administered in some complaints of the 
head and. eyes, and have been productive of considerable 
benefit. The prickly husks may be advantageously em- 
ployed in the tanning of leather. 
