Elms 39 



states, such as the famous elm at Cambridge, Massa- 

 chusetts, under which Washington took command of 

 the Continental army, and the one at Philadelphia, 

 under which William Penn signed a treaty with the 

 Indians. 



Notice the buttresses that are found at the bases of 

 many large elms. What purpose do these serve, and 

 why are they especially needed by the elm? 



The wood of the elm. Elm wood is less prized than 

 many other kinds of wood. It is heavy and solid, but 

 difficult to work because it is very hard to split. This 

 is because, as the wood fibers grow, the ends push past 

 each other and become interlaced. Because of its 

 toughness, however, elm wood is useful for some pur- 

 poses. The hubs of wheels and the handles and bands 

 of baskets are made of it, and much elm is used for barrel 

 hoops and crating. 



Elm trees are subject to decay, and many of the old 

 elms that were formerly so common in the woods con- 

 tained large hollows high up in the trunk, or even in 

 the limbs. These afforded nesting places for owls and 

 homes for raccoons, porcupines, and squirrels. Many 

 of the " bee trees," which were cut down simply to get 

 the stores of honey the bees had placed in them, were 

 elms. 



The early settlers chopped down elms for still another 

 purpose. Knowing that the buds and twigs are nutri- 

 tious, they gave their cattle a chance to eat them, when 

 other feed was scarce. The cattle would leave their 

 barn feed to browse on the elm. 



The slippery elm. The red elm, or slippery elm, has 



