VEGETABLES. 471 



by incurious observers have been taken for the fruit of tho 

 tree. These galls are full of small insects, some of which are 

 winged, and some not. The parent insect is of the genus of 

 cynips. Some poplars in the garden are quite loaded witli 

 these excrescences*. WHITE. 



CHESTNUT TIMBER. 



John Carpenter brings home some old chestnut trees which 

 are very long ; in several places the wood-peckers had begun 

 to bore them. The timber and bark of these trees are so very 

 like oak, as might easily deceive an indifferent observer, but 

 the wood is very shakey, and towards the heart cup-shakey, 

 (that is to say, apt to separate in round pieces like cups) so 

 that the inward parts are of no use. They are bought for the 

 purpose of cooperage, but must make but ordinary barrels, 

 buckets, &c. Chestnut sells for half the price of oak; but 

 has sometimes been sent into the king's docks, and passed off 

 instead of oak. WHITE. 



LIME BLOSSOMS. 



Dr. Chandler tells, that in the south of France, an infusion 

 of the blossoms of the lime tree, tilia, is in much esteem as a 

 remedy for coughs, hoarsenesses, fevers, &c. and that at 

 Nismes, he saw an avenue of limes that was quite ravaged and 

 torn in pieces by people greedily gathering the bloom, which 

 they dried and kept for these purposes. 



Upon the strength of this information we made some tea of 

 lime blossoms, and found it a very soft, well-flavoured, plea- 

 sant, saccharine julep, in taste much resembling the juice of 

 liquorice. WHITE. 



* [A very interesting and extensive series of papers on the subject of 

 gall-insects has been recently published in the ' Entomologist ' for the 

 years 1875 et seq.T. B.] 



