102 CONVERSATIONS ON THB 



the pine and cedar, because it is apt to warp 

 and bend when exposed to the changes of 

 weather. In Ohio and Kentucky, shingles 

 are made of it ; and great quantities of the 

 wood are used all over the country for the 

 panels of carriages. It is much employed 

 too in making chairs arid bedsteads and 

 trunks. The Indians used to make their 

 canoes of the tulip-trees in preference to any 

 other, partly on account of their size, and 

 partly because the wood was so easy to work, 

 and lasted so long. In short it is excellent 

 for all kinds of use except ship-building and 

 such others as require solid and heavy timber ; 

 and it makes capital charcoal too." 



" And is the bark good for tanning or any 

 thing, Uncle Philip 1 If it is, I shall think the 

 tulip-tree almost as useful as the oak." 



" No, it is not used in tanning ; but an 

 infusion of it in brandy is thought to make a 

 good medicine, in some parts of the country ; 

 and it is given to horses in powder to cure 

 them of worms. Some physicians have given 

 it as their opinion that the bark has the same 

 properties as the Peruvian; but I believe 

 that it has never come into general use as a 

 medicine." 



