T'he Natural History of Se I borne 465 



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, pleasant, 

 saccharine julep, in taste much resembling the juice of liquorice. 

 WHITE. 



BLACKTHORN. 



THIS tree usually blossoms while cold north-east winds blow ; 

 so that the harsh rugged weather obtaining at this season is 

 called by the country people blackthorn winter. WHITE. 



IVY BERRIES. 



IVY BERRIES form a noble and providential supply for birds 

 in winter and spring; for the first severe frost freezes and 

 spoils all the haws, sometimes by the middle of November; 

 ivy berries do not seem to freeze. WHITE. 



HOPS. 



THE culture of Virgil's vines correspond very exactly with the 

 modern management of hops. I might instance in the per- 

 petual diggings and hoeings, in the tying to the stakes and 

 poles, in pruning the superfluous shoots, &c., but lately I 

 have observed a new circumstance, which was a neighbouring 

 farmer's harrowing between the rows of hops with a small 



