84 FLORA'S LEXICON. 



LAX. Linum. Class 5, Pentandria. Or- 

 der : Pentagynia. Truly we ought to be 

 grateful to this useful plant ! It yields us 

 the linen we wear, the paper we write up- 

 on, and the lace which adorns our fair 

 countrywomen. Nowhere can we cast our 

 eyes but we see evidence of its utility. It 

 has been cultivated from time immemorial for the lint and tow 

 it affords, and it was formerly the chief occupation of cottagers' 

 wives to spin this into yarn and linen cloth. 



I FEEL YOUR KINDNESS. 



Ah! 'tis a goodly little thing, 



It groweth for the poor, 

 And many a peasant blesses it, 



Beside his cottage door. 

 He thinketh how those slender stems 



That shimmer in the sun, 

 Are rich for him in web and woof, 



And shortly shall be spun. 

 He thinketh how those tender flowers 



Of seed will yield him store ; 

 And sees in thought his next year's crop, 



Blue, shining round his door. 



Oh! the goodly Flax-flower! 



It groweth on the hill; 

 And be the breeze awake or sleep, 



It never standeth still ! 

 It seemeth all astir with life, 



As if it loved to thrive, 

 As if it had a merry heart 



Within its stem alive ! 

 Then fair befal the Flax-field ; 



And may the kindly showers 

 Give strength unto its shining stems, 



Give seed unto its flowers. 



Mary Howitt. 



