Basswood

or Linden, a well known softwood tree of the north temperate zone. The European linden is a favorite shade tree. Unter den Linden, the finest avenue in Berlin, took its name from the linden trees which were planted its entire length. The family name of Linnaeus, the eminent botanist, is derived from the linden. Linden is a more poetical name than basswood, and really more fitting to so fragrant and handsome a tree; but basswood, a word derived from the strong cord-like bast that forms the inner part of the bark, is the American name and will persist. Basswood grows quickly, and is a beautiful wood for carving and turning. It has long been a favorite in Europe for wooden ware. The wood cuts admirably into thin sheets for fruit boxes, for which its freedom from taste and odor render it desirable. The flowers are yellowish, and furnish pasturage for bees. "Basswood honey" is one of the finest honeys on the market. The fruit of the tree is spherical and is furnished with a broad wing. In falling, even in calm weather, it whirls to some distance from the parent tree. The basswood is a fine shade tree. If one does not wish to wait for the growth of young trees from seed, fine, strong young trees may be had by heaping a foot of earth around the suckers of an old stump until they take root and are ready for transplanting. See Berlin