76 CONVERSATIONS ON THE 



wood is for feeding cattle towards the close 

 of the winter; the leaves begin to sprout 

 much sooner than those of the other trees ; 

 and the young twigs and shoots, being tender 

 and full of sweet juice, are gladly devoured 

 by the famishing horses and cows. 



" There is nothing curious, or much worth 

 knowing, about the other two kinds, the box 

 elder and mountain maple : the box elder 

 grows in great abundance west of the Alle- 

 ghany Mountains, but is very scarce in other 

 parts of the country. It gives no sugar, and 

 the wood rots so fast that it is of no service in 

 cabinet-making or building. They cultivate 

 it in Europe to adorn pleasure-grounds, on 

 account of its rapid growth, and its beautiful 

 foliage : the leaves are of a bright green. 



" The mountain maple is rather a shrub 

 than a tree, for it never grows higher than 

 six or eight feet. As you may suppose from 

 the name, it grows only on mountains, and in 

 rough rocky places : the wood is too small to 

 be good for any thing. And now, my dears, 

 we have gone through our list of American 

 maples.' 



" And what class will you take up next, 

 Uncle Philip ?" 



