August 1, 1896.] 



KNOWLEDGE. 



171 



ground by the wind. On reaching a moist spot the plant 

 unfolds, its pods dehisce, and the seeds are sown. From 

 this remarkable habit Anastatica has been called the 

 "resurrection plant." Placed in a basin of water it at 

 once expands. Anastatica belongs to the order Crucifers, 

 but an Australian grass [Siinpli/iw) and a Brazilian club- 

 moss possess the same curious wandering habit. From 

 the examples now given it will be seen how widespread is 

 the employment of hygroscopic agency throughout the 

 vegetable kingdom wherever the distribution of seeds or 

 other reproductive bodies is in question. With the excep- 

 tion of the wind, no agency is more in requisition for the 

 dissemination of plant-germs. But notwithstanding this, 

 hygroscopic agency seems to play only a subordinate ruli- 

 in the distribution of plants. We have but to consider 

 how limited is the range of this force to see that the 

 hygroscopic property is of value chiefly in conjunction 

 with other and more efficacious agencies. 



THE LIME. 



By Geo. Paston. 



" Jbove wares wide the linden tr^e : 

 With humming bees the air is thrilled." 



Mrs. HowiTT. 



THE lime or linden tree (Tilia europcea) deserves to 

 be held in much respect by all botanists, if for no 

 other reason than that the great father of botany, 

 Linnaeus, derived his name from it. 



Independent of all associations, however, the 

 lime is much esteemed for its own sake ; it grows to a 

 very large, handsome tree, and in favourable situations 

 lives to an old age. A fine lime has been called " one of 

 the most imposing specimens of the vegetable 

 kingdom." 



This tree used to be the favourite for 

 avenues — indeed, there are few old English 

 parks, or European cities, that cannot boast of 

 their avenues of limes ; lately, however, it has 

 fallen into disfavour, either on account of its 

 shedding its leaves so early in autumn or 

 because a less formal style of landscape garden- 

 ing is now the fashion. 



The lime is indigenous to the middle ard 

 north of Europe, and is supposed to have been 

 introduced to our island by the Piomans. It 

 is quite common, all the varieties having lorg 

 since been naturalized. It grows generally 

 with a straight stem (fluted in old trees), has 

 smooth bark (Fig. 1) and dense foliage ; it is a 

 very quick free grower, and stands transplanting 

 exceedingly well, even when of good size. 



The tree grows to a height of from seventy to 

 one hundred feet with a girth often over twenty 

 feet, and is less suited to stand the smoke of 

 towns than the plane, elm. and some others. 



The leaves, which usually appear in Jlay, 

 are heart-shaped, lop-sided, and beautifully 

 toothed along their margins. The flowers, 

 small and of a greenish colour, are generally 

 borne three or four together on a curious leaf- 

 like bract; they have a sweet perfume and over- 

 flow with honey. The seeds or fruit succeeding are small 

 spherical capsules, which, however, seldom ripen in this 

 country (Fig. 2). 



One great peculiarity of the lime is the mass of twigs 

 or "adventitious" branches which often surround the 

 bole, and which give the tree a grace and beauty quite its 



own. In some avenues these twigs are quite a feature; 

 in spring their red-tinted points look like bunches of coral, 

 which give place to the tender green of the opening leaves. 

 These at this season hang vertically downwards, and are 

 more gracefully tapered towards the apes than later, 

 when they increase in breadth. Two other peculiarities 

 of this tree are the density of its foliage and the immense 

 quantity of sweet-smelling honey-producing flowers which 

 it bears ; it consequently receives the industrious attention 

 of the bee — the honey being of a pale colour and excellent 

 quality. On the Continent the lime is much grown for its 

 shade ; indeed, even in this country we know of fewer 

 greater pleasures than to spend the long hours of a hot 

 •Inly day reclining in the grateful shade of a large lime, 

 drinking in the sweet odour and listening to the hum of 

 the bees sounding though its branches. 



In the middle ages " divine honours " were sometimes 

 paid to this tree. Pliny tells of its "great repute" and 

 "thousand uses." Shields (more important in those days 

 than now) made of its wood were said to deaden the blow 

 of a weapon better than those of any other kind of wood. 

 The bark was a cimrnon writina; material. Evelyn 

 mentions that a book written on tbe inner bark of the 

 lime "was brought to the Count of St. Amant, Governor 

 of Arras, 1662, for which was given eight thousand ducats 

 by the Emperor." Alas! there are no such emperors now. 



The wood is of a pale yellow or white colour, close 

 grained, soft, light, and smooth, and not readily attacked 

 by insects. It cuts with great ease, and admits of much 

 sharpness in details, and is consequently much used by 

 the carver. 



Many of the fine carvings in Windsor Castle, Trinity 

 College Library, Cambridge, and Chatsworth House, are 

 of this wood. It is also tised by cabinet makers, piano 



l'"lG. 1.— Dark of the Lime Tree. 



makers, and for toys, boxes, and the like. One of the 

 most important uses of the lime, however, in the North of 

 Europe is that of supplying material for making ropes and 

 mats. These mats aremade from the tough but flexible 

 inner bark or bast of the tree, and are much used in 

 garden work ; indeed, as many as fourteen million of them. 



