TREES OF AMERICA. 105 



years ago, it was very little decayed, and no 

 larger than he found it. There was another 

 about thirty-five miles from Marietta in Ohio, 

 that was forty-seven feet in circumference ; 

 and I saw one about fifteen years ago, on the 

 banks of the Mohawk, not far from Utica, that 

 was famous all over the country ; it was 

 called the big button-ball, and it took eight 

 men, with their hands joined, and their arms 

 stretched out as far as they could be, to encir- 

 cle the trunk. A part of the hollow trunk of 

 this tree was exhibited at one of the museums 

 in New- York last summer." 



" Oh, then I saw it. Uncle Philip ; it had a 

 carpet in it, and chairs, and a table, and it 

 made quite a nice little room." 



" But even these, huge as they are, do not 

 equal a famous tree, something like a syca- 

 more, that grew in Asia, and is mentioned by 

 Pliny, one of the ancient writers. He says 

 that one of the Roman generals, with eighteen 

 of his attendants, found a retreat for the night 

 in the hollow trunk of this monstrous tree, 

 and that the inside of the cavity was seventy- 

 five feet in circumference. Can you tell me 

 why the sycamore is so often called button- 

 ball ?" 



