214 CONVERSATION'S ON' THE 



at the top, and differ very much in size, ac- 

 cording to the situation in which the trees 

 grow : in dry open places, they are not more 

 than two inches wide, but in cool moist spots 

 they are twice as large. In general appear- 

 ance, the downy lime is not unlike the 

 American lime or bass-wood, but only about 

 half the size ; the greatest difference is in the 

 seeds and flowers ; the flowers are smaller and 

 whiter, but grow in larger clusters ; arid the 

 seeds grow in clusters of ten or twelve, instead 

 of three, as in the other kinds ; but they hang 

 in the same way, from a long slender stem, 

 springing out of the middle of a narrow leaf." 



" Uncle Philip I read once in a book that 

 matting was made of the bark of the lime- 

 tree ; but I do not know very well what mat- 

 ting is." 



" It is a kind of thick coarse cloth, some- 

 times made of rushes, and sometimes, as you 

 say, of the bark of trees ; and it is chiefly used 

 for packing some kinds of merchandise ; most 

 of the hemp and flax that are brought to this 

 country from Russia is packed in matting 

 made of lime-bark. If you would like to see 

 some bass or lime-wood you can by going to 

 the shoemakers'; the boards they use to cut 



