Thoreau writes in his journal:
Horse-chestnuts strew the roadside, very handsomecolored but simply formed nuts, looking like mahogany knobs, with the waved and curled grain of knots.
Having just dug my potatoes in the garden,—which did not turn out very well,—I took a basket and trowel and went forth to dig my wild potatoes, or ground-nuts, by the railroad fence . . .