106 CONVERSATIONS ON THE 



" Oh yes, Uncle Philip ; from the numbei 

 of little balls that grow on it, and which are 

 shaped' very much like a bell-button." 



" And do you know what those balls are, 

 and what they are good for ? I suppose not. 

 Well then you must know, they are the fruit 

 of the tree, and contain the seeds. You have 

 seen that they are about an inch in diameter, 

 and that in the course of the autumn they fall 

 from the tree, and break into a great number 

 of little tufts or feathers, which are scattered 

 about by the winds ; each of these little tufts 

 is a seed, and it is in this way that the trees 

 are planted and spread about over the coun- 

 try." 



"Is the wood good for any thing, Uncle 

 Philip ? I suspect not, though, for I have 

 heard father say that it was a pity such a fine 

 large tree should be so little useful." 



" The wood is handsome and polishes well, 

 but the cabinet-makers find fault with it, on 

 account of its being so liable to warp ; and 

 it decays very rapidly too when exposed to 

 the weather. It lasts a long time under 

 ground, however, and therefore I should 

 think it would be good for such timbers of 

 houses, as are used in cellars : but there are 



