LIMES ST. JOHN'S WOET. 61 



which are the best suited for wells, as they do not rot with 

 wet. The wood is applied to turnery purposes and for making 

 vineyard ladders. So great is the value there attached to this 

 tree, that the people are required by law to plant it on the 

 roadsides. Linnaeus took his name from this tree, which in 

 the Swedish language is called Lin. A very large Linden 

 growing near his father's house in his native village suggested 

 to the philosopher the idea of assuming that as his name. 



Another species of the same genus furnishes the Indians 

 with fishing-tackle. 



We have a Downy Linden and a Small-flowered Linden as 

 well as the common Lime. Edward brought specimens of the 

 two latter trees from the neighbourhood of Hawkhurst, in 

 Kent ; they have smaller darker leaves, and the Downy species 

 is more hairy. 



Jute hemp is the produce of a plant of this order, a native 

 of Bengal. It grows to the height of twelve feet, and its bark 

 contains valuable fibre. The hemp formed from this fibre is 

 fine and satiny, and is used in India for making bags and 

 wrappers, and in England for mixing with silk in the manu- 

 facture of cheap satins. 



The ST. JOHN'S WORT is a small order, chiefly interesting as 

 including the valuable plant or shrub which produces the tea 

 of commerce. This commodity, though only introduced into 

 Britain less than two hundred years ago, has become to us 

 a necessary of life. China is the natural home of the tea 

 plant, but one species is successfully cultivated in India. The 

 black and the green tea are leaves off the same tree, but in 

 different stages, and prepared in a somewhat different manner. 

 The characteristics of this order are five sepals and five petals, 

 and numerous stamens united into several groups : on this 

 account the order is designated " many brotherhoods " in the 

 Linna3an system. The fruit is a berry with several cells. The 

 order includes trees, shrubs, and herbs. The blossom of the 

 Large-flowered St. John's Wort would satisfy the most gaudy 



