THE LIJIE. 



accentuated utterances of a single idea, and with this understanding 

 alone is it correct perhaps to speak of the Europaa as a native of our 

 own island. In any case, the Eurojjaca has been in England so long as 

 now to have become perfectly naturalised ; and the grandifolia, though 

 far less abundant, and at present still possessing the aspect of a guest, 

 will no doubt become so likewise in the course of another century. 

 Centuries, though they express a great deal in the history of human 

 life, simply mark spacious periods in the chronology of trees. All three 

 forms correspond pretty nearly in general figure. The tree is symme- 

 trical, with a solid but rather short trunk ; the general outline, viewing 

 it from a distance, is roundish or ovoid, and in aged individuals, the 

 lower branches, which are then often very massive, are prone to bend to 

 the earth, the extremities resting upon the grass, so as to form a green 

 canopy or natural tent, after the manner of certain varieties of other 

 trees that are styled "weeping." A lime of this description stands 

 upon the lawn at Oulton Park, Cheshire, and is justly esteemed one of 

 the most striking and beautiful trees in the whole county. When 

 favoured by soil and situation, the dimensions that the lime can attain 

 are prodigious. At Moor Park, there are, or were a few years ago, 

 some individuals of remarkable magnificence, the head of one being 

 more than 120 feet in diameter, and the stature more than 100 feet. 

 The trunk of this tree is in circumference no less than eight yards ! As 

 regards the possible longevity of the lime, what this is may be judged 

 from the fact that at Trous, in the Grisons, there existed, in 1798, a 

 lime which was celebrated as far back as A.D. 1424, and the age of 

 which, in 1798, could not have been less than 580 years. 



The particular features of the Lime are found in the crowding of the 

 heart of the tree with brushwood when somewhat advanced in life ; in 

 the buds, in the shape of the leaves, in the flowers, the honey, and the 

 fruit. Lest in referring to the " fruit" there should arise any miscon- 

 ception, and the sour-juiced " lime" of the West Indies be thought of, 

 let it be understood, before we go further, that that invaluable little 

 lemon is the produce of -an entirely different tree, a first cousin of the 

 orange and the citron. Let it also be mentioned here, that the genuine 

 and original name of the tree we are considering is not Lime, but Line, 

 or more properly, Linden, a name referring to the use of the tough 

 bark for making mats and cordage. Under the name of " bass," or 

 "bast," gardeners use vast quantities of this material for tying up plants. 

 Were the tree always called by its much more elegant and poetical name 

 of Linden, Chaucer's own name for it on two occasions at least, 



