TREES OF AMERICA. 49 



" Is the wood good for any thing. Uncle 

 Philip ? I dare say it is, though ; for every 

 part of a tree seems to have some use or 

 other." 



" It has one good quaUty of the black wal- 

 nut ; the worms do not destroy it. It lasts a 

 long time, too ; and therefore the farmers like 

 it to make their fences of : but it is not strong 

 enough for house-timber, or any other pur- 

 pose where strength is required. It is very 

 good for making wooden shovels, and bowls, 

 and dishes, not being apt to split ; and for the 

 same reason coach-makers like it for the pan- 

 els of carriages." 



"Uncle Philip, what do the doctors make 

 of butternut-bark ? They use it for something, 

 I know, for one of the doctors in New- York 

 gets a great deal of it here every spring." 



" They make a very good medicine of it 

 by boiling it in water, and then mixing the 

 decoction with honey. Do you know what 

 a decoction is ?" 



" Not exactly, I believe : I have heard father 

 speak of decoctions and infusions, but I do 

 not know what the difference is." 



" A decoction is when any thing is boiled 

 in water for the sake of some property which 



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