VOLUME

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ORGANIZED KNOWLEDGE

LEMBERG, lem'berK, a city of AustriaHungary, and capital of the crownland of Galicia, is situated on the River Peltew, 365 miles northeast of Vienna. It is fourth in population among the cities of Austria, being exceeded only by Vienna, Prague and Trieste. The place is defended by a citadel, around which the modern town has grown up; most of the prominent buildings are found in the suburban districts. There are many imposing Greek and Roman Catholic cathedrals, and the city also possesses the third largest university in Austria. In the Ossolinski National Institute are valuable collections of Polish his torical and literary relics, besides a library of over 180.000 volumes. There are manufactures of farm machinery, boilers, musical instruments, candles, flour and other commodities, and in time of peace the city enjoys a considerable trade in agricultural products.

Lemberg was founded in the thirteenth century, and has had a varied history, having suffered many times from siege and bombardment. Early in the War of the Nations (which see) the Russians began an offensive movement in Galicia, resulting in the capture of Lemberg, which they held until June, 1915. Its recapture by the Austro-German forces, during the spectacular drive against Warsaw, meant the loss of an important base of supplies for the left wing of the Russian army. Population, 1914, 212.000.

LEMIEUX, lɛ mye', RODOLPHE (1866- ), a Canadian statesman, one of the leading members of the Liberal party, and author of the Lemieux Act of 1907, which was aimed to help in the elimination of strikes and lockouts by providing government conciliation. Lemieux was born at Montreal, Que., attended Laval University, and was called to the bar in 1891. He was elected to the House of Commons as a Liberal in 1896, and has served since without interruption. He entered the Laurier Ministry in 1904 as Solicitor-General, was Postmaster-General from 1906 to 1911 and during four months in 1911 was Minister of

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Marine and Fisheries. Lemieux was successful on several difficult diplomatic missions, notably one to Japan in 1907, when he succeeded in inducing the Japanese government to restrict emigration to Canada. He also maintained his standing at the bar, was professor of the history of law at Laval University, and is the author of several volumes on legal subjects.

LEMMING, lem'ing, a small animal related to the field mouse, of a clumsy form, large head and short, thick legs. Its length is about six inches, of which nearly an inch is included in the little, stubby tail. Lemmings live in shallow burrows dug in the dry parts of swampy ground, under stones or in the peaty soil. The European lemming is the bestknown species; other varieties are

THE LEMMING

found in the northern parts of both hemispheres. The lemming sits very quietly near its burrow most of the day, and is active during the night. If molested it sets up a loud squeaking and grunting, much like a guinea pig. If cornered, it bites viciously, springing at the intrader with short leaps.

The lemming lives on buds of the dwarf birch, roots, grass and reindeer-moss. In the winter it lives on what it can find under the snow. Like other fur-bearing animals which live in cold countries, it turns white in winter. In Europe it migrates occasionally in immense troops, often numbering hundreds of thousands, devouring every green thing in its course and doing as much damage as the migratory locust. It advances stubbornly in one direction, crossing mountains, swimming rivers and permitting nothing but an impenetrable barrier to alter its course. Thousands die from hunger, disease, fatigue and accidents, and many are killed by beasts and birds of prey that follow them. They move steadily on until they reach

their destination; if, however, a large body of water appears before them they plunge in and meet death by drowning.

LE MOINE, le moyn', or le mwhaN', SIR JAMES MACPHERSON (1825-1916), a Canadian historian and naturalist, who wrote with equal facility in French and English. He was born at Quebec, was educated there at Le Petit Séminaire, and was called to the bar in 1850. For a number of years he was collector, and then inspector, of inland revenue at Quebec, but later he devoted himself to literary work. He gave much of his time to the study of natural history, especially birds, and his Birds of Quebec and L'Ornithologie du Canada are among his most popular writings. In addition to ornithology Sir James became a specialist in archaeology and history, subjects in which he was noted for carefulness in investigation and impartiality in his conclusions. Among his many books are Legendary Lore of the Saint Lawrence; The Fisheries of Canada; Quebec, Past and Present; Canadian Heroines, and Annals of the Port of Quebec.

LEMON, lem'un, the fruit of a tree of the citrus group, whose thick outer rind is the source of a valuable oil, and in whose pulp is found the acid juice used everywhere in making the popular beverage known as lemonade and as a flavor in cookery. The lemon tree, which belongs to the same group as the orange and the lime, grows wild in India, and is supposed to have been introduced into Europe during the Crusades, about the year 1200. It is now cultivated in Italy and the neighboring islands, in Spain and Portugal, in Mexico and in the warm states of California and Florida. It grows from ten to twenty feet in height, bearing long, willowy branches which are meagerly clothed with pale-green leaves. The flowers, which are small and marked on the outside with purplish lines, are fragrant, but less so than their cousins, the orange blos

soms.

The lemon tree begins to bear the third or fourth year and comes into full bearing the sixth or seventh year. The average yield for one tree is between 200 and 300 pounds a year, this figure varying with the care given and the weather conditions. Trees are usually planted one hundred to the acre, so a grower expects an annual yield of from 2,000 to 3,000 pounds per acre. In Northern California lemon groves in full bearing have a value of from $750 to $1,500 per acre, and in Southern California the price ranges from $1,000 to $2,500. The

Above is a branch showing arrangement of leaves.

less inner rind, while the whole interior of the fruit is filled with a juicy, sour, light-colored pulp. This is divided into ten or twelve sections, each of which contains two or three seeds.

Since lemons do not keep well if allowed to ripen on the tree, they are gathered while still. green and placed upon trays in cool, dark rooms. As the fruit slowly ripens, its rind becomes tougher, thinner and more pliable, conditions which promise good keeping qualities during the process of shipping. On their removal from the curing rooms the lemons are sorted, graded, wrapped in tissue paper and packed in boxes.

Lemon extract, or oil, which is widely used for flavoring and as a basis for perfumes, is obtained by pressing the oil from the peel. The juice of the pulp, whose tart, agreeable flavor is due chiefly to the citric acid contained in it, has several uses. Cold lemonade is one of the most refreshing of summer beverages,

LEMUR

and hot lemonade is highly valued for breaking up a cold. Lemon juice will restore the color to cloth discolored by alkali stains; its efficacy in removing such spots from the hands is well known. Medicinally, it has mildly laxative qualities. Calico printers use it to produce greater clearness in the white part of patterns dyed with colors containing iron, and it is also an important source of commercial citric acid (which see).

The Industry in America. From two great fruit-bearing states, California and Florida, is obtained practically the entire lemon crop of the United States, which amounts annually to about 2,770,000 boxes, valued at nearly $3,000,000. Of this output, California produces 992 per cent, the yearly crop averaging 2,756,000 boxes, or 5,000 carloads, valued at about $2,976,500. Each year there are imported into the United States and Canada over 150,000,000 pounds of the fruit, having a value of over $6,000,000. Nearly all importations are from Italy, of which the United States is becoming a keen competitor.

B.M.W.

LEMUR, lee' mur, an animal allied to the monkey, native to Madagascar, though also found in Africa, India and the Comoro Islands. The lemur is lower in the zoological scale than the ape and the monkey, its brain being simpler

THE LEMUR

in structure. It is a pretty little animal, about the size of a cat, with soft fur and long, bushy tail. The head is round and the nose so long and pointed that it has been called the foxnosed monkey. It lives in trees, eats fruits, insects, small birds, eggs, reptiles, etc. Of the fifty species the best known are the ringtailed, which is gray in color with black and white rings around its tail; the ruffled, one of the largest of the species; the mouse lemur, which is about the size of a rat; the indris, which is black with white legs. The lemur is easily tamed and is very playful in captivity. Lemur means ghost, a name given the little animal on account of its spectral appearance

LENS

and its habit of feeding at night. Its howl resembles that of a dog, and for this reason the natives of Madagascar give it a name which means dog of the forest.

LE'NA, a river of Eastern Siberia, the main trade artery of a large district. It rises on the slopes of the Baikal Mountains, 186 miles northeast of Irkutsk. Its entire length is 2,700 miles, the whole of which lies in the Russian dominions. At Irkutsk it attains a width of six miles, then flows north to the Arctic Ocean, where it forms a delta 250 miles wide. The chief tributaries are the Vilim, Kirenga, Olekma, Aldan and Vilyui. There is little agricultural land along its upper course, and it becomes navigable at its junction with the Kuta River, about 430 miles from its source. Along its middle course the country is sparsely inhabited by Yakuts, a people who live by fishing.

It is claimed that the difference between the summer and winter temperature along the Lena is the greatest known. At Kirensk the river is frozen from October to April; at Yakutsk, from October until the last of May. Olekminsk, Vitimsk, Verkholensk, Bulun and Yakutsk are its principal ports. The commerce consists chiefly of minerals, grain and fish, which are carried in wooden barges built in the shipyards at its various ports. At the mouth of the Lena there is considerable ivory trade from tusks of prehistoric animals found in the new Siberian Islands. The victims of the Jeannette, a north-polar expedition vessel, are buried on an island in the delta. The river drains an area of about one million square miles, nearly equal to one-third the area of Canada.

LENNI-LENAPE, len'i len'a pe. See DELAWARE (Indians).

LENOX, len' uks, JAMES (1800-1880), the founder of Lenox Library and a benefactor of many charities, was born in New York City. He was graduated from Columbia College and for forty years devoted himself to the collection of rare books and works of art. His gifts to the Presbyterian Hospital, the Philipps Memorial Church, the Presbyterian Home for Aged Women and to the Lenox Library amounted to over $2,000,000.

LENS, lenz, a transparent substance, having at least one curved surface. Lenses thickest in the middle are convex; those thickest at the edges are concave. The six kinds of lenses are shown in the figure on page 3380, and there is explanation of their forms.