186 



THE AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL. 



[Feb. 



ignorance of eacli other, and the apparatus and man- 

 agement adopted by each. 



Now this is not 'written with an idea of dictating 

 or even suggesting to you any mode of proceedure, 

 but because, from personal acquaintance, I feel con- 

 fident that your views are similar to those just 

 expressed. 



I have taken the liberty of thus declaring my 

 views, because I think the time is not far distant 

 when the generous, progressive spirit of bee-keepers 

 shall be emulated by the Journals that claim to 

 represent their best interests before the world. 



Now that we have a Bee Journal edited by a man, 

 interested in nothing but the greatest good to the 

 greatest number, it is apparent that this Journal must 

 lake the front rank, and represent in character as 

 it does in name, the whole American people ! 



You may count upon me far all the support which 

 time and circumstances will allow me to give. 



In closing, I feel to exclaim : Long Live the 

 American Bee Journal ! 



Yours truly, 



J. H. Nellis. 



Canajoharie, AT. ¥., Jan. 14, 1873. 



The American Linden, 



BY D. L. ADAIR, HAWESVILLE. KY. 



The article in the October American Bee Jour- 

 nal, on the Linden, translated from DieHonegbiene, 

 describing the various species, (?) embraces only 

 foreign varieties, with the exception of Tilia Laxi- 

 flora. The foreign Linden has so many insect 

 enemies that it would not be advisable to plant 

 them extensively. Many lepidopterous insects 

 feed upon its leaves. Several species of Geomet- 

 rids, called span worms, loopers, measuring worms, 

 &c, are so destructive to the leaves, that they are 

 completely devoured, leaving the tree bare of foli- 

 age. 



A worse enemy, and even more fatal, is a horned 

 beetle, (Saperda Vestita). It is about one-half inch 

 long, is covered with a greenish down, with two 

 dark spots on each wing cover. It appears in May, 

 and devours the young bark and tender twigs. 

 The exposed surface of the wood is pierced with 

 innumerable holes, where the egg is laid and the 

 larvse bred, to produce increased swarms of beetles. 



The American Linden (Tilia Americana) on the 

 contrary, is seldom much injured by insects, 

 although the saperda vestita has in some instances 

 been known to attack it. Washington Square in 

 Philadelphia, some years ago, had both species 

 growing in it. The European was destroyed by 

 these borers and had to be cut down, while the 

 American remained untouched until after the for- 

 mer was removed. 



Twenty years ago there was a tree of the Euro- 

 pean Linden in Cambridge, Massachusetts, which 

 was reputed to be over two hundred years 

 old, with a trunk eight feet in circumference, which 

 was attacked by the borer, and in a little while its 

 trunk and branches were denuded, pierced and 

 grooved with millions of holes, completely destroy- 

 ing it. No certain means of arresting the depre- 

 dations of either of these insect enemies has yet 

 been devised, and any extensive, or even small, 



plantation of the foreign Linden would probably be 

 destroyed sooner or later. It is likely, therefore, 

 that should honey orchards be planted that they 

 would be principally of the native varieties. It 

 might not, therefore, be out of place to record in 

 the pages of the American Bee Journal, a short 

 account of the diiferent varieties of the American 

 Linden. The following include all the known 

 varieties ; some of them may be species : 



1. Tilta Americana, (according to Linnfeus, 

 Michaux, Torrey & Gray, and Loudon), or Tilia 

 Glabra, (according to DeCandolle & Don). The 

 common names are Bass Wood, White Wood, Lin, 

 Linden, and in some parts of the United States, 

 Lime tree, Black Lime tree, Smooth-leaved Lime tree. 

 This is generally considered one of our finest forest 

 trees, and is principally confined to the Northern 

 States and Canada, where it frequently grows to 

 the height of eighty or ninety feet, and four or 

 five feet in diameter. The leaves are three to four 

 inches wide, the bark on young shoots dark brown. 

 The flowers appear in June, and are about a half- 

 inch in diameter, the bunches (or cymes) being- 

 compounded of from twelve to twenty, are pendu- 

 lous and on stems (peduncles) four to six inches 

 long, attached to a floral leaf (bractea) which is long 

 and narrow. The seed pod ripens in September 

 and October, is about the size of a buckshot, is cov- 

 ered with a short, grey down, and usually contains 

 but one seed. 



2. Tilia Americana Laxiflora, the loose-cymed- 

 flowered American Lin„ or Lime tree. This is a 

 smaller tree than the former, seldom attaining a 

 height of over fifty feet, and grows near the sea- 

 coast from Maryland to Georgia. It greatly resem- 

 bles Tilia Americana except in size and geography. 

 It flowers from May to July. 



3. Tilia Americana Pubescens, or downy-leaved 

 Lin, or Lime tree, is a smaller variety than either 

 of the former, seldom growing more than forty feet 

 high. The color of the bark is darker and the 

 twigs more slender. The leaves are smaller; in 

 dry, open places often not more than two inches 

 wide; in rich, shady places sometimes they are 

 three to four inches in diameter. It belongs to the 

 southern portion of the United States, from Ken- 

 tucky to Florida and Texas. The leaves are, when 

 they first expand, covered with a down (pubescent) 

 on the under side. As they grow a part of the 

 down falls off, and what remains is in tufts or 

 patches. It flowers in May and June. The flowers 

 are more numerous and form larger buuehes than 

 the other varieties. The seed pod is globose and 

 downy. 



4. Tilia Americana Pubescens Leptophylla, 

 or Thin-leaved downy American Lin or Lime tree. 

 This variety has the same geography as the last and 

 is represented to differ from it only in having 

 thinner leaves with few serratures. 



5. Tilia Americana Alba, (according to 

 Michaux) Tilia Americana heterophylla, (of Ven 

 tenat) White-leaved Lin or Lime tree, White Basswood, 

 White Lime, Warhew tree. 



This variety equals in size of tree, the Tilia Amer- 

 icana first described, on the Ohio river frequently 

 attaining a height of eighty to one hundred feet. 

 The young shoots have a silvery gray bark with a 

 rough surface, are thick and have on them in winter 



