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vested of all their lateral twigs. If the foil in which theyare planted, be a fat loam, they will make a prodigiousprogress in their growth, so that in three years time theywill be fit to transplant out where they are to remain.

They may also be propagated by cuttings; but as thismethod is not so certain as by layers, the other is generallypractised. In order to obtain proper shoots for layingdown, a lime-tree is cut down close to the ground, fromthe roots of which a great number of strong shoots areproduced the following year; these will be large enoughto lay down the succeeding autumn, especially if thesmallest of them are cut off close early in the spring ; forwhen too many shoots are suffered to grow during thesummer, they will be much weaker, than if only afuffi-cient quantity be lest. For the manner of laying downthese shoots, see the article Layer.

The timber of the lime-tree is used by carvers, it beinga soft, light wood, as also by architects for framing themodels of their buildings ; the turners likewise use it formaking light bowls, dishes, &c. but it is too soft for anystrong purposes. Miller 1 s Gard. I)i£l.

LINDEN-TREE. See the preceding article. _

LING, heath,

LINSEED, the feed of the flax. See the article Flax.LIQUORICE, a plant propagated for medicinal uses.It grows to about sour or five feet high ; its stalks are hardand woody; its leaves small and roundish, standing to-gether on the two sides of a rib, and making what bo-tanists call a winged leaf.

A correspondent of the editors of the Museum Rusti-cutn has given the following directions for cultivating thisplant, founded on a long series of experience.

" The common culture of liquorice is not difficult tobe learned ; and this with proper attention, will enableany thinking farmer, that knows his business, to cultivateit to advantage.

This plant thrives best on a deep, loose, rich mould;and if it is fresh land, that has not for many years borne5-orn, the profit will be the greater, as the crop will beLrger, and the roots of a finer quality.

"A rich sandy foil, provided it is deep, will do well*°r this plant; and it must always be remembered, thatsoo much moisture is its greatest enemy: let no one there-°te attempt to plant it on a damp clay, lest the wholeCr °p be cankered.

“ Land cannot be made too fine, nor dug too deep,or liquorice: it should be, at least, moved with thePade to the depth of two feet and a half, and if a little° ee per, so much the better.

" If the land, on which the liquorice sets are to bePsonted, is se e st), rich, and in good heart, it needs no ma-j 1Ur . e for the first crop; but if it has been for some yearsja tillage, the planter will do well to give it, in the som-e r time, a good dressing of very rotten dung, lime, and'in 9 ' a ^ ies J or soot, mixed together, some months before,of .^o-Dpost : the quantity must be regulated by the state"e land, always remembering that this plant requires af eat c * ea I of nourishment, and is a great impoverisher ofsooH thou oh " extracts much of its nourishment, or’ from a considerable depth, at a distance from thelp a st Ce ’ ibme of the roots running five or six feet, atcl f ’' ntothe ground.

Verv /''ben the ground is properly prepared, reduced to atsitb, and laid level, some liquorice runners, ori a,e to he procured. These must be cut into pieces,

about eight or nine inches long each, and planted in rows,with dibbers armed with iron points. I make myrowstwo feet asunder, put my sets fifteen inches from eachother, and when three rows are planted on a six-feet bed,

1 allow two feet more of interval betwixt bed and bed.

" When I put in my sets with the dibber, I leave theupper end of each set just level with the surface of theground : I should have observed, tha.t I have all my setscarefully inspected before they are carried into the field, tosee that each of them has one, if not two eyes, or buds,without which they would make no shoots.

" When the whole spot of ground is planted, I makemy labourers dig up the intervals one spit deep, and spreadthe earth on the beds: this raises them about two inchesabove the head of the sets, and by lowering the intervals,serves in wet seasons to drain the beds. I generally con-trive to get this work done by the last week in Septem-ber ; but in favourable years, the middle of October isnot too late.

“If the weather proves mild, I have no farther troublewith them during the winter; but if it is likely to freezehard, I cover the beds with peasc-haulm, or long dun?,,or some such matter, to forward the growth of the rooitsin the spring, and protect them during the winter, fromthe frosts.

“ Early in the spring, on the first appearance of theweeds, I allow my liquorice a thorough hoeing; andthis is several times repeated in the dry weather of thesummer.

“ The winter following, I again cover them with longdung, and in the spring, before the roots begin to shoot,I have the spaces betwixt the rows on the beds loosenedwith a spade, and the intervals are well dug : immediatelyafter which, I give the land a flight dressing of coal-soot,sown by hand: it should be thick enough to make theland look black: this the first rains wash in, and.it greatlywarms and invigorates the plants.

“ The second and third summers, all I have to do, is tokeep my crop clear of weeds: this indeed, is very ne-cessary, and the hoeings for this purpose must be more orless frequent, according to the season; generally, threetimes in the summer are quite sufficient, especially if theland was well prepared before the sets were planted.

Many good sensible farmers, whom I have known tocultivate this plant,'in autumn have a practice of cut-ting down the stalks, whilst they are in full sap, thinkingthereby to strengthen the roots. I differ from them, how.ever, in opinion, and am rather apt to imagine, thatthis cutting of the stalks, whilst the sap is in motion, mustbe prejudicial to the roots. It is, therefore, my custom,always to defer cutting off the stalks, till they are withered,and begin to decay ; nature then indicating, that an ab-straction will be of service.

“ These roots should have three summers growth be-fore they are sit to take up : it is very seldom that theyhave attained a proper size at two years end ; and if youleave them longer than three years in the ground, the rootsare apt to grow sticky, and lose a part of their saccharinequality.

“ I never take them up till the sap is entirely at rest,and the leaves and stalks are withered : they are then inprime order, and fittest for sale.

“ If these roots are taken up while the sap is in motion,either early in the autumn, or late in the spring, they are

apt