THE CHESTNUT. 
The chestnut is a very large and beautiful tree that 
grows abundantly in some parts of New England and 
over the Alleghany Moun- 
tains. Children always know 
the chestnut trees, if they 
live near them. 
Like the hickory and wal- 
nut, the chestnut has its 
staminate flowers in catkins, 
but these are white instead 
of green, and give the chest- 
nut a very handsome appear- 
ance when they cover it with 
airy plumes in the early 
summer. 
The nuts grow in prickly 
burrs, two or three in a burr. 
When the nuts are ripe in 
the fall, the burrs open to let them out. As everybody 
knows, they have a thin shell and a sweet kernel. 
They are sometimes boiled and sometimes eaten raw. 
Squirrels, chipmunks, and some birds are fond of 
them and are often the means of planting them. 
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Chestnut flowers. 
