LIM 



LIN 



with fuel and leaving air passages, as 

 in making charcoal. 



LIME, MILD. Carhonate of lime, 

 which possesses little of the action of 

 burned lime. Quicklime returns to 

 this condition in the soil after a time, 

 depending upon the porousness of 

 the earth and amount of vegetable 

 matter it contains. Chalk is much 

 used in England as an amendment ; 

 but with us the reduction of lime- 

 stones to a powder would be much 

 more expensive than beneficial. Marl 

 answers this purpose when rich in 

 calcareous matter ; some sands and 

 gravels are so rich in broken shells as 

 to afford a good calcareous manure : 

 10 to 30 cart-loads are applied. Car- 

 bonate of lime is slowly soluble in 

 water containing carbonic acid. 



LIMESTOx\E, LIME ROCK. The 

 best for agricultural purposes are the 

 oldest crystalline rocks destitute of 

 magnesia. Limestone formations 

 appear from the earliest transition 

 epoch, in which they constitute hard 

 crystalline marbles, through the sec- 

 ond, and into the tertiary period. 

 They frequently form the richest 

 lands when disintegrated, in conse- 

 quence of the large amount of corals 

 and organic remains they contain, 

 W'hich often yield two per cent, of 

 bone earth : some of the linest wheat 

 soils are of this kind. Calcareous 

 rocks, sands, or gravels are of every 

 colour and admixture ; sometimes 

 flinty, sandy ; at others, aluminous ; 

 but if the carbonate of lime be in any 

 quantity, they are readily recognised 

 by adding a few drops of strong acid, 

 which siiould produce an evolution of 

 gas or effervescence. 



LLME PLANT. The May apple 

 is sometimes called by this name. 



LIME-TREE. Tilia Europea. The 

 linden, a tree of great beauty, often 

 attaining 90 feet, and bearing a large 

 amount of sweet flowers in spring, 

 which constitute a favourite food of 

 bees. It is propagated with great 

 ease from suckers, layers, seed, and 

 cuttings. The wood is soft, but used 

 in turning, and forms a fine charcoal 

 for gunpowder : the inner bark af- 

 fords the best bass. 



462 



! The linden has been for ages a fa- 

 i vourite tree in parks, groves, and 

 avenues of towns ; it is very patient of 

 trimming, and can be cut into arches 

 and other figures. Several varieties, 

 differing consideraoly in height, are 

 known. 



Michaux describes three species of 

 American trees of the genus Tiha : 

 the alba, Americana, or bass wood, and 

 the pubesccns, or downy ; they are 

 not of much economical value, the 

 wood being soft and destructible. 



The linden of Europe is frequently 

 planted as an ornamental tree ; in 

 the Northern and Middle .States, it is, 

 however, extremely hable to the at- 

 tacks of numerous insects and cater- 

 pillars, and requires much attention 

 to be preserved from destruction. 

 Numerous span and canker worms 

 infest the young buds and foliage ; 

 the use of lime and tobacco washes, 

 or smoke, might diminish the number 

 of these enemies. 



LINACE.E. The family of plants 

 to which flax belongs ; they are re- 

 markable for their mucilaginous seeds 

 and tough fibres. 



LINCHPIN. The pin at the end 

 of the axletree to confine the wheel. 



LINDEN. See Lwic-trce. 



LINE ATE, LINEATUS, LIN- 

 EAR. Used in describing leaves, 

 &c., which are narrow and of the 

 same width throughout. 



LINEN. The cloth or texture spun 

 from the fibres of flax. 



LINE OF DIP. In geology, the 

 inclination of strata from the hori- 

 zontal line ; it is estimated in angles, 

 and the direction of the dip towards 

 the point of the compass given. 



LINES. In agriculture, these are 

 of great use to mark out the straight 

 direction of ditches, banks, hedges, 

 &LC. In gardening, drills, beds, bor- 

 ders, &;c., are made by means of a 

 line. It is usually rolled upon two 

 sticks, which are pointed at the lower 

 ends, andean be fixed into the ground. 



LING. Common heath (Calluna 

 vulgaris). It grows very abundantly 

 on the barren hill-sides in England 

 and Scotland ; the woody stems 

 make good brooms and fuel, and the 



