TREES OF AMERICA. 35 



about oak-trees, and it is time for you to go 

 home to your suppers, for the crows are flying 

 away to the woods, and the sun is almost 

 down." 



" Well, indeed, Uncle Philip, you have told 

 us a great deal that we did not know ; who 

 would have thought that a tree was so useful 

 and good for so many things !" 



" Every thing in the world is useful, boys ; 

 and it is our business to find out what every 

 thing in the world is good for. People are 

 making discoveries every day, and I think it 

 quite likely that when you are as old as I am, 

 you will know a great deal more about an 

 oak than I or any other man can tell you 

 now. Perhaps some of you may find out 

 something new and exceedingly useful ; but 

 to do this, you must learn what other men have 

 discovered, while you are young, and never 

 pass any thing by as not worth examining, 

 however humble or useless it may appear. 

 The bark of an oak seems to be good for no- 

 thing ; but you see that without it your shoes 

 would not last half so long, or keep out the 

 water as well as they do ; the branch of an 

 oak you would pass by as worthless ; yet from 

 it is made one of the ingredients of gunpow- 



