110 CONVERSATIONS ON THE 



the summer, these cells open and let out the 

 seeds, which are scattered about by the wind, 

 and so the trees are spread all over the coun- 

 try. The leaves are very handsome, and 

 shaped somewhat like a star, with one of 

 its points wanting. The tree generally 

 grows thirty or forty feet high, and it is 

 found in great abundance in every part of 

 the United States. 



" Another beautiful Southern tree is the 

 catalpa, that grows plentifully in the Caro- 

 linas and Georgia : its height is about fifty 

 feet ; the bark is smooth, and of a silver gray 

 colour ; the leaves are very large, and shaped 

 like a heart ; and the flowers are showy and 

 handsome, white with yellow and violet 

 spots, and something like the sweet-pea, only 

 more beautiful. You have seen the pods, I 

 dare say, for there are several of the trees 

 about this neighbourhood, and in New- York 

 they are quite numerous." 



"What, is that the catalpa, with long round 

 slender pods, like beans, hanging down from 

 the branches, more than a foot long ? They 

 are of a deep dusky red, and not so big as 

 your finger. Is that the catalpa?" 



