Page:White - The natural history of Selborne, and the naturalist's calendar, 1879.djvu/451

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John Carpenter brings home some old chestnut trees which are very long; in several places the wood-peckers had begun to bore them. The timber and bark of these trees are so very like oak, as might easily deceive an indifferent observer, but the wood is very shakey, and towards the heart cup-shakey (that is to say, apt to separate in round pieces like cups), so that the inward parts are of no use. They are bought for the purpose of cooperage, but must make but ordinary barrels, buckets, etc. Chestnut sells for half the price of oak; but has sometimes been sent into the king's docks, and passed off instead of oak.—. Dr. Chandler tells that in the south of France, an infusion of the blossoms of the lime tree, Tilia, is in much esteem as a remedy for coughs, hoarsenesses, fevers, etc., and that at Nismes, he saw an avenue of limes that was quite ravaged and torn to pieces by people greedily gathering the bloom, which they dried and kept for these purposes.

Upon the strength of this information we made some tea of lime blossoms, and found it a very soft, well-flavoured, pleasant, saccharine julep, in taste much resembling the juice of liquorice.—.

This tree usually blossoms while cold north-east winds blow; so that the harsh rugged weather obtaining at this season, is called by the country people, blackthorn winter.—.

Ivy berries form a noble and providential supply for birds in winter and spring; for the first severe frost freezes and spoils all the haws, sometimes by the middle of November; ivy berries do not seem to freeze.—.