of universities were known as "laureates" because of the wreaths of laurel 

 with which. they were crowned. 



A Greek myth relates that Apollo, after slaying the Python, fled for puri- 

 fication to the laurel groves of the vale of Tempe. While here he fell in love 

 with the nymph Daphne who fled from him. She prayed for deliverance to 

 her mother Earth, who heard her and opened the ground so that she might 

 hide. On this spot there sprang up a laurel tree which Apollo declared to be 

 sacred. Afterwards when he instituted the Pythian games at Delphi to com- 

 memorate his victory over Python, the prizes awarded the victors were made 

 from the leaves and berries of the laurel. 



An English writer writes about the laurel as follows : 



"The sweet bay bush in the farmer's or cottage garden comes with 

 its story from the streams of Greece, where it seeks moisture in a thirsty 

 land along with the wild olive and the arbutus. And this sweet bay is 

 the laurel of the poets, of the first and greatest of all poet and artist 

 nations of the earth the laurel sacred to Apollo, and used in many 

 ways in his worship, as we may see on coins, and in many other things 

 that remain to us of the great peoples of the past." 



The Romans believed that the laurel afforded protection against lightning, 

 and the Emperor Tiberius, when it thundered, wore a laurel wreath made 

 from the tree at the imperial villa on the Flaminian Way. 



There are only two species of the genus Laurus, one native to the Mediter- 

 ranean region and one to the Canary Islands. The Sweet Bay (Laurus no- 

 bilis) reaches a height of from forty to sixty feet. It branches close to the 

 ground and bears dark green, oblong leaves which give a heavy shade. 



The laurel is most commonly grown as a tub plant, with which to decorate 

 porches and formal gardens. The head can be trimmed to any shape desired, 

 which makes the tree in demand by architects for the proper setting of their 

 building designs. The trees will do well in the open since they stand consider- 

 able frost and heat. 



EUROPEAN LINDEN 



The European linden (Tilia europea), which is a celebrated street tree 

 of Europe, is similar to_the American basswood, but has smaller, deeper green 

 leaves and red or yellow_branches. This tree is commonly called "Lime Tree," 



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