474 
FLORICULTURE OF THE MONTH. 
rarely perfect the seeds in England. While 
the lime-tree is in flower, it is frequented by 
myriads of bees which 
' Sit on the bloom, extracting liquid sweets 
Deliciously.' 
Honey from the lime is considered superior to 
all other kinds for its delicacy of flavour ; it 
is to be obtained in a perfectly pure state only 
at the little town of Kowno in Lithuania, 
which is surrounded by an extensive forest of 
lime-trees. The pleasing sound produced by 
the busy collectors, joined to the fragrant per- 
fume diffused by the flowers, frequently gives 
occasion for its being planted near houses, in 
preference to other more picturesque trees. 
Even after the flowers have faded and fallen 
to the ground, the odour is perceptible, the 
ground remaining for a long while thickly 
strewed with the withered stamens, which 
retain their fragrance to the last. Towards 
the end of September the leaves tui-n to a 
bright yellow, and in the course of the follow- 
ing month fall ofi". 
" The custom of making avenues of lime- 
trees was adopted in the time of Louis XIV., 
and accordingly the approaches to the re- 
sidences of the French as well as the English 
gentry of that date, were bordered with lime- 
trees. It subsequently fell into disrepute for 
this purpose, on account of its coming late 
into leaf, and shedding its foliage early in 
autumn, and was supplanted by the hornbeam 
and elm ; but many of the cities of continental 
Europe still boast of their public walks of 
lime-trees, which in the hours of relaxation 
are numerously frequented by persons of all 
classes and ages. The Dutch, especially, 
plant them in lines along their widest streets, 
and by the sides of their canals, and the whole 
country is perfumed by them during the 
months of July and August. Evelyn, in 
whose time straight walks and formally grown 
trees were in vogue, recommends the lime as 
' of all other, the most proper and beautiful 
for walks, as producing an upright body, 
smooth and even bark, ample leaf, sweet blos- 
som, the delight of bees, and a goodly shade 
at the distance of eighteen or twenty-five 
feet.' 
" The lime-tree, though not applied to so 
many uses as it was in the time of Pliny, is 
valuable for many purposes. In the Belgian 
Horticulturist it is stated, that ' the flowers 
infused in cold water are antispasmodic ; and 
in hot water they make an agreeable kind of 
tea. The leaves and young shoots are muci- 
laginous, and may be employed in poultices 
and fomentations. The timber is better 
adapted than any other for the purposes of 
the carver ; it will take any form whatever ; 
it admits of the greatest sharpness in the 
minute details, and it is cut with the greatest 
ease. It is also used for sounding boards for 
pianos and other musical instruments. But 
the peculiar use of the lime is for the forma- 
tion of mats from its inner bark. In June, 
when the leaves begin to develop themselves, 
and the tree is full of sap, branches or stems 
of from eight to twenty years' growth, are cut 
and trimmed, and the bark is separated from 
them from one end to the other. This is 
easily done, by simply drawing the edge of a 
knife along the whole length of the tree or 
branch, so as to cut the bark to the soft wood. 
It then rises on each side of the wound, and 
almost separates of itself. If mats are to be 
made immediatelj', the bark is next beaten 
with mallets on a block of wood, and children 
are employed to separate the inner bark, which 
comes off in strands or ribands, while the outer 
bark detaches itself in scales. If mats are 
not to be made for some time, the bark is dried 
in a barn or shed, and either kept there, or 
stacked till it is wanted. It is then steeped 
twenty-four hours in water, beaten as before, 
and put into a heap, where it remains, till it 
undergoes a slight fermentation. When this 
has taken place, the inner bark separates in 
ribands and shreds as before. With the 
slu'eds, cords of different kinds are twisted in 
the usual manner ; and mats are formed with 
the ribands in the same way as rush mats. The 
ribands which are to be used in forming mats 
for gardens undergo a sort of bleaching for 
the purpose of depriving them of part of their 
mucilage, which would otherwise render them 
too liable to increase and diminish in bulk by 
atmospheric changes. The great advantage 
of lime, or bass mats, over all others in gar- 
dens, is that they do not so easily rot from 
being exposed to moisture.'" — Pp. 165 — 171. 
FLORICULTURE OF THE MONTH. 
BY GEOKGE GLENNT. 
September is one of the most interesting 
months of the whole year, and this interest is 
kept up till the very last, for every day that 
the frost leaves alone brings forth shows and 
seedlings. We, however, cannot follow the 
days much more than half-way through be- 
fore the time arrives for us to finish our 
remarks. The small streams that feed the 
great river of Floriculture may be traced to 
every manufacturing town where men of com- 
