L I N 



L I N 



itic top, raising the whole according to the 

 height of the frame, from four or five to six or 

 seven feet ; wliich heating considerably against 

 the whole back of the frame, communicates 

 the heat internally, by which the difl'crent plants 

 are forwarded to early production ; supporting 

 the internal heat by renewing the linings. See 

 FoKciNG Frame. 



Linings of dung are also sometimes used in 

 supporting the heat of nursery hot-beds for 

 young pine-apple plants, ayd some other ex- 

 otic.^ of the hot-house or stove, both in dung 

 and tan-bark hot- beds, under proper frames and 

 glasses ; as well as those wintered in these detached 

 not-bcds distinct from the hot-house, &c. and 

 in which a constant regular heat, almost equal 

 to that of the stove, must be supported, so that, 

 when the natural heat of the bed is on the de- 

 cline, a strong liningof hot dungmustbe applied, 

 half a yard or two feet wide below, narrowing 

 moderately upward, and continued on both 

 sides occasionally; and as the heat of these lin- 

 ings subsides, it must be immediately rene\\cd 

 by a supply of fresh dung, either worked up 

 with the liest of that of the declined linino-, or, 

 if this is much decayed, wholly of new ; and 

 thus the hot-beds maintained in a proper deoree 

 of heat from autumn till spring. 



The decayed dung of the diflcrent linino-s, 

 when done with, becomes excellent manure for 

 the kitchen-garden. 



LINUM, a genus containing plants of the 

 herbaceous, annual, and perennial shrubbv 

 kinds. 



It belongs to the class and order Pcntandria 

 Peiifagi/?iia, and ranks in the natural order of 

 Gn/inales. 



The characters are: that the calyx is a five- 

 leaved lanceolate perianthiuni, upright, small, 

 permanent: the corolla funnel-form: petals 

 five, oblong, gradually wider above, obtuse, 

 more spreading, large : the stamina have five 

 awl-shaped filaments, upright, length of the 

 calyx (also five rudiments, alternating) : anthers 

 simple, arrowed : the pistillum is an ovate germ: 

 styles five, filiform, upright, length of the 

 stamens : stigmas simple, reflex : the peri- 

 carpium a globose capsule, rudely pentagonal, 

 ten-valved, gaping at the tip: partitions mem- 

 branaceous, very thin, connecting the valves : 

 the seeds solitary, ovate-flattish, acuminated, 

 smooth. 



The species are: I. L. Ksitafissiim/i)?, Com- 

 mon Flax; 2. L. pereniif. Perennial Flax; 3. 

 L. siijf'ritt'icosum. Shrubby Flax ; 4. L. aiiu- 

 rcuni, Tree Flax: 5. L. Jfricanum, African 

 Flax. 



The first has an annual, simple, fibrous, pale 

 Vol. II. 



brown root : the stem upright, eighteen inches, 

 two feet, and even more in height, round, 

 smooth, leafy, branched only at top: the leaves 

 are stssile, growing close together, almost up- 

 right, perfect! v en tne : the flowers large, grow- 

 ing in a panicle, on round smooth peduncles : 

 the ealycine leaflets ovate- keeled, with a mem- 

 branous edge, when magnified appearing to be 

 fringed with hairs : the petals wedge-shaped, 

 deciduous, sky-blue, streaked with deeper-co- 

 loured lines ; white at the claws, and somewhat 

 gnawed at the tip. It is a native of Egypt, 

 flowering in Jude and .July. 



It may be said tn be one of the inost valuable 

 plants in the whole vegetable kingdom ; as from 

 the bark of its stalks is n)anufaelured flax or lint, 

 for making all sorts of linen cloth ; from the 

 cloth, when worn to rags, is madapaper: andfrom 

 the seeds of the plant linseed oil is expressed, 

 which is much used by painters, and in other 

 arts; and the refuse, after expression, forms the 

 oil-cakes so valuable in the fattening of cattle 

 and sheep. 



In the second species, from its perennial root 

 rise three or four inclining stalks, having short 

 narrow leaves towards their base, but scarcely 

 any about the top : the flowers are producedat the 

 ends of the stalks, sitting vtry close ; they are 

 blue, and about the size of the cultivated sort, 

 being succeeded by pretty large round seed-ves- 

 sels, ending in acute points. Its flowers appear 

 from June to August, and are of a delicate tex- 

 ture and very elegant blue colour, and the roots 

 continue four or live years. 



There is a variety which is procumbent, with 

 smaller flowers. 



The third has a shrubbv stalk a foot high, 

 sending out several branches : the leaves very 

 narrow, coming out in clusters, but on the 

 flowering branches broader and longer : the 

 flowers at the ends of the branches, erect, on 

 long slender peduncles : the calyxes acute- 

 pointed : the petals large, entire, white, but 

 before the flowers open pale yellow : they appear 

 in July, but the seeds seldom ripen in this cli- 

 mate : the flowering stalks decay in the autunm, 

 but the lower shrubby part continues with the 

 other branches all the year. It is a native of 

 Spain, &c. 



The fourth species forms, if not a tree, as 

 its name implies, a shrub of the height of se\c- 

 ral feet : it begins to flower in March, and con- 

 tinues flowering to the close of --unnner ; but 

 has not vet produced seeds in this climate. It 

 is a native of the island of Candia. 



The fifth has a suflVuticose stitl' stem, a loot 

 high, round, with simple branches: the leave? 

 are sessile, upright, even, e^cnerally shorter thau 

 K 



