THE LIME-TREE. 263 



body, smooth and even bark, ample leaf, sweet blossom, 

 the delight of bees, and a goodly shade at the distance of 

 eighteen or twenty-five feet." 



The Lime-tree, though not applied to so many uses as it 

 was in the time of Pliny, is valuable for many purposes. 

 In the Belgian ''Horticulturist" it is stated, that "the 

 flowers infused in cold wator are antispasmodic ; and in 

 hot water they make an agreeable kind of tea. The leaves 

 and young shoots are mucilaginous, and may be employed 

 in poultices and fomentations. The timber is better 

 adapted than any other for the purposes of the carver : 

 it will take any form whatever ; it admits of the greatest 

 sharpness in the minute details, and it is cut with the 

 greatest ease. It is also used for sounding-boards for pianos 

 and other musical instruments. But the peculiar use of the 

 Lime is for the formation of mats from its inner bark. 

 In June, when the leaves begin to develop themselves, 

 and the tree is full of sap, branches or stems of from eight 

 to twenty years' growth are cut and trimmed, and the 

 bark is separated from them from one end to the other. 

 This is easily done by simply drawing the edge of a knife 

 along the whole length of the tree or branch, so as to cut 

 the bark to the soft wood. It then rises on each side of 

 the wound, and almost separates of itself. If mats are to 

 be made immediately, the bark is next beaten with mallets 

 on a block of wood, and children are employed to separate 

 the inner bark, which comes off in strands or ribands, 

 while the outer bark detaches itself in scales. If mats are 

 not to be made for some time, the bark is dried in a barn 

 or shed, and either kept there or stacked till it is wanted. 

 It is then steeped twenty-four hours in water, beaten as 

 before, and put into a heap, where it remains till it under- 

 goes a slight fermentation. When this has taken place, 

 the inner bark separates in ribands and shreds as before. 

 With the shreds cords of different kinds are twisted in 

 the usual manner ; and mats are formed with the ribands 

 in the same way as rush mats The ribands which are to 



