LIME TREE AND RUSSIA MATS. 233 
Linpven, Jute, &c., of the family of Tiliacee, 
The Tiliacee or Linden tribe are so named from the well- 
known European tree—a favorite in parks and public walks, 
and the source of an extensive commerce, inasmuch as the 
mats which are imported in such enormous quantities, are 
formed of the bark of this tree. But in the same family with 
the Linden tree, botanists place also the genus Corchorus, 
species of which yield the now well-known Jute of India, as 
well as the genera Grewia and Triumfetta, both of which con- 
tain species remarkable for the tenacity of their bark. The 
Tiliaceze are also remarkable for mucilaginous properties. The 
leaves of many are edible, and the fruit of some afford pleasantly 
tasted acid berries. 
Lime or Linpen Tree (Tilia europea), and Russa Mars. 
The Lime tree abounds in the forests. of Europe, but espe- 
cially in those of Russia; and is esteemed for its sweet-scented 
flowers. The wood of the tree is white and light, and employed 
for making furniture, for turning, and for carved works. The 
bark of these trees when steeped in water soon separates 
into thin layers, which are employed for making a coarse kind 
of rope, for making matted shoes much worn by the Russian 
peasantry, and also for making the mats which are so largely 
exported from Russia, and which are so extensively used in 
this country for packing furniture, as well as for gardening 
purposes, and for covering the floor. A Linden shoot grow- 
ing in moist situations, is stated by Mr. Tooke as not fit for 
peeling, for the purpose of being platted into shoes, in less 
time than three years. To every pair of shoes, from two to 
four young Linden stems are requisite ; and though these grow 
faster as they are cut, yet the consumption is enormous, and 
the destruction of the Linden tree is in consequence immense. 
For the better, larger kind of mats, trees of from eight to six- 
teen years are cut down when full of sap, and the bark is 
immediately separated both from the tree and the branches. 
It is first cut longitudinally, then raised with an instrument 
made of bone, and then torn off with the hand. When the 
bark has been removed, it is stretched on the ground to dry, 
