564 THE MAGAZINE OF HORTICULTURE. 



thriftily in situations exposed not only to the worst severity 

 of north-east storms, but also to the direct spray of the ocean ; 

 yet I could never perceive that any one species was at all 

 injured by this exposure. The only respect in which an ex- 

 posure to the ocean differs from any other equally bleak 

 exposure is, the liability of plants in that situation to receive 

 the spray of the salt water when dashed up by a violent 

 storm. Even this could not reasonably be supposed to damage 

 them, as it is usually washed off immediately by the rain which 

 accompanies it. 



The idea of a "salt-air " in the vicinity of the sea is a notion 

 too absurd to be entertained by any one who understands the 

 first rudiments of chemistry. Not a particle of salt would be 

 raised into the atmosphere if all the waters of the ocean were 

 dried up, until its bed was as dry as our streets in July. Salt 

 cannot be evaporated, except by destructive distillation, which 

 could be effected only by a heat powerful enough to fuse 

 granite. At a red heat, salt will melt without undergoing any 

 decomposition. It is impossible, therefore, that the smallest 

 infinitesimal atom of salt can exist in combination with the 

 atmosphere. In Beverly and Gloucester, on the promontories 

 that project into the sea, and which are exposed to the 

 severest gales from every point of the bay, we may search in 

 vain for any evil effects produced by the sea-breeze upon trees 

 and shrubs growing there without protection. All our com- 

 mon shrubs and timber trees grow thriftily in those situations, 

 and all our common fruit trees thrive there better than they 

 do twenty miles back in the interior, because they are less 

 liable to injury from the late frosts in May. 



The wood of the lime-tree has alwa^/^s been highly valued 

 by the carver, for whose purposes, on account of its softness 

 and toughness, it is admirably well adapted. It is useful like- 

 wise for many other purposes in the arts ; for the panels of 

 carriages, the inside of drawers, for bowls, and for the figure- 

 heads of vessels. The whiteness, softness, and firmness of 

 the wood probably first suggested the idea of manufacturing 

 it into paper. Many successful experiments of this kind have 

 been made, and some of the paper is equal to the medium 

 quality of foolscap. 



