210 CONVERSATIONS ON THE 



by pounding, is used in some parts of the 

 country for the seats of chairs. 



'• Another kind is the red, or, as some call it, 

 the sHppery ehn." 



" Oh, we know that, Uncle Philip ; the bark 

 is good to eat." 



" Yes ; it is used by physicians too : by 

 boiling it in water they make a thin jelly, 

 very like flax-seed tea, that is good for colds and 

 fevers. It is thought to be nourishing, and is 

 often given to sick people, instead of arrow- 

 root. The red elm is smaller than the white, 

 but the wood is stronger, and more durable. 

 The leaves are larger, thicker, and rougher ; 

 the seeds are larger and rounder. The bark 

 is brown on the outside, and of a reddish 

 white on the inside. The wood is chiefly 

 used for ship-blocks, and the timbers of boats : 

 it makes excellent rails, too : but it is not very 

 common. 



" The other kind of elm grows only in the 

 Southern States, and is there called the 

 wahoo ; an Indian name, of which I do not 

 know the meaning. It is a small tree, seldom 

 more than thirty feet high, and nine or ten 

 inches thick. The seeds and leaves are very 

 much like those of the white elm but not 



