BEECH. 221 
and dead fences, made of young chesnut-trees, are pre- 
ferred to most others. 
Much of the fruit of the chesnut is consumed as food 
by the poorer classes of people on the Continent, but 
particularly by those of Spain and Italy ; and, when 
dried and powdered, it is no mean substitute for flour, 
in bread and puddings. Chesnuts are imported into 
this country in considerable quantities, both from 
France and Spain, and are roasted and eaten in des- 
serts : those which are grown here being much smaller 
than what we receive from abroad. On the Continent 
they are sometimes used for making starch, and in the 
bleaching of linen. 
236. The BEECH (Fagus sylvatica, Fig. 64) is a forest 
tree known by its waved and somewhat oval leaves, and its 
triangular fruit, consisting of three cells, and enclosed, by 
pairs, in a husk which, is covered with sitnple prickles. 
There are beech woods in many parts of England, 
but the trees flourish best in rich, calcareous soils. 
These woods, it has been observed, are peculiarly dry 
and pleasant to walk in ; and, under their shade, afford 
to the botanist many interesting plants, such as the 
bird's nest (monotropa), winter green (pyrola), and some 
rare orchidece. Beech-trees bear lopping well, and 
may be trained so as to form lofty hedges, which are the 
more valuable for shelter, as the leaves, though faded, 
remain through the winter, and the twisted branches 
may be formed into a very strong fence. 
The ivood is hard and brittle, and, if exposed to the 
air, is liable soon to decay. It is, however, peculiarly 
useful to cabinet-makers and turners. Carpenters' 
planes, tool-handles, and mallets, are made of it. When 
split into thin layers, it is used to make scabbards for 
swords. Chairs, bedsteads, and other furniture, are 
occasionally formed of beech. 
The fruit of this tree, which has the name of beech- 
mast, and is ripe in September, is palatable to the 
taste; but, if eaten in "great quantity, it occasions 
