130 CONVERSATIONS ON THE 



" It is not as useful as the oak. is it, sir?" 

 " No ; that is, it is not applied to as many 

 purposes ; but it has a great many merits. 

 It grows all over the United States, except in 

 the northern parts ; but the largest trees are 

 found in the fertile lands of the Western States, 

 where .they are often seen eighty feet high, 

 and four feet thick : in this neighbourhood, 

 you know, it never attains half that size. 

 There are five kinds of locust, but I suppose 

 you have never seen any except what is 

 called the sweet or honey locust, which is 

 common enough all about here." 



"Oh yes, we know that kind very well, 

 Uncle Philip ; it has small leaves, and long 

 sharp thorns, and small white flowers that 

 are very sweet ; and after the flowers are 

 gone, the tree bears long flat pods, like pea- 

 pods, only a great deal longer and wider, and 

 of a dark red colour, almost black ; and these 

 pods have little brown beans in them, that 

 are almost as hard as stone." 



"And is there nothing else peculiar about 

 it? What is it that gives it its name?" 

 " Oh, the honey that grows in the pod." 

 " Very true ; the most common of all the 

 kinds is called simply the locust; and it is 



