SLIPPERY ELM 



(Ulmus Pubescens) 



THIS tree is known as slippery elm in every state where it grows, 

 thirty or more; but in some localities it has other names also. It 

 is doubtful if any person who is acquainted with the tree would fail to 

 recognize it by the name slippery elm, though some who are acquainted 

 with the lumber only might not know it by that name. Those who call 

 it red elm have in mind the color of the heart wood which is of deeper red 

 than the wood of any other elm, or they may refer to the tawny pubes- 

 cence on the young shoots in winter. The botanical name describes 

 that characteristic. 



In the North, the slippery elm is sometimes known as moose elm. 

 It furnishes forage in winter for the moose and other herbivorous ani- 

 mals when ground plants are covered with snow. The moose is able to 

 eat branches as thick as a man's thumb. The principal food element in 

 the twigs is the mucilaginous inner bark. It is this which gives the tree 

 its name slippery elm. The value of the bark as a food has been ques- 

 tioned. It is agreeable to the taste of both man and beast, but it is 

 claimed that a human being will starve to death on it, though it will 

 prolong life several days. The lower animals, however, seem able to 

 derive more benefit from eating the bark. An incident of the War of 

 1812 appears to prove this. The army under General Harrison, operat- 

 ing in the vicinity of Lake Erie, kept the horses of the expedition alive 

 by feeding them on slippery elm bark, stripped from the trees and chop- 

 ped in small bits. 



The inner bark has long been used for medicinal purposes. It is 

 now ground fine and is kept for sale in drug stores, but formerly it was a 

 household remedy which most families in the country provided and kept 

 in store along with catnip, mandrake, sage, dogwood blossoms, and other 

 rural remedies which were depended upon to rout diseases in the days 

 when physicians were few. The slippery elm bark was peeled from the 

 tree in long strips, the rough outer layers were shaved off, leaving the 

 mucilaginous inner layer. That was from an eighth to a quarter of an 

 inch thick. It was dried and put away for use. When needed it was 

 pounded to a pulp, moistened with water, and applied as a poultice, if 

 an external remedy was wanted. If a medicine was needed, a decoction 

 was drunk as tea. There is no question that the remedy often produced 

 good results when no doctor was within reach. A well-known medical 

 writer said three-quarters of a century ago that the slippery elm tree 

 was worth its weight in gold. 



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