Chestnut (Maplet)

This is the entry for chestnut from Maplet's A Greene Forest.

Of the Chestnut tree.

The Chestnut tree is a verie tough wood, and so massie or sound, that it maye be the principall Beame in all buildings. It is so fertile and ranke in yong shoote and slippe, besides this in budding and giving of flowre, that being once cut or hacked in pieces, will be the better for that, and bud so much the more. It is called Castanea in Latine quasi Castraria à Castrando bicause it is so often lopped or gelt, or bicause it is first opened before it is rosted in the fier. Some say that those kinde of Coles wherewith the Smith mollifieth and worketh his Iron are made with this.