THE LIME. 119 



purposes, and the bark, as a blue dye, and as an in- 

 gredient in the manufacture of ink. 



February, March, or April, according to the state of 

 the season, is the time when the maple is tapped for 

 the preparation of sugar. A perforation is made by an 

 auger, about two inches into the tree, slanting up- 

 wards ; into this a eane or wooden pipe is inserted, 

 and a vessel placed to receive the sap. The quantity 

 afforded by a tree varies both with the tree and the 

 season ; the most favourable season being when 

 there is the greatest difference between the heat of 

 the day and that of the night. From two to three 

 gallons may be about the daily average afforded by 

 a single tree; but some trees have yielded more than 

 twenty gallons in a day, and others not above a pint. 

 The process by which maple juice is boiled and clari- 

 fied into sugar, does not differ materially from that 

 used for cane juice in the West Indies. The juice 

 should be as recently drawn as possible; for if it 

 stand more than twenty-four hours, it is apt to un- 

 dergo the vinous and the acetous fermentation ; by 

 which processes, the saccharine quality of the juice 

 being destroyed, sugar can no longer be extracted. 

 From the quantity of saccharine matter in the juice 

 of this maple, there is no doubt that it could be fer- 

 mented into wine, and that a spirit could be dis- 

 tilled from it. There is saccharine matter in the sap 

 of the common maple, but it does not granulate well, 

 and would not repay the expense of extraction. 



LIME OR LINDEN. 



Of the Lime Tree ( Tilia} there are ten species, 

 six of which are natives of Europe the others being 

 Americans; though they have been all introduced 

 as objects of curiosity. 



Of the European Lime ( Tilia Europcea) there are 

 six varieties; but the most valuable, and the one 

 which is most frequently met with, is the Common 



