TREES OF AMERICA. 135 



little sharp hooks growing out of the edges, 

 and the brilliant red berries : can any of you 

 tell me what tree they belong to ?'' (See p. 

 116.) 



" I know, Uncle Philip ; it is the holly : I 

 have seen it at cousin Mary's, over on Long 

 Island, when I went there for the Christmas 

 holydays : they dressed up the church with 

 it." 



" Yes, I know that is often done : it is an 

 evergreen, and one of the most beautiful too ; 

 the leaves are so bright, and the berries so red. 

 In England they always use it at Christ- 

 mas, to dress up the churches and houses : 

 in this part of the country it is not as common 

 as it is in the Southern States ; but I have 

 seen great quantities of it in New- Jersey, and 

 it is spreading more to the north. It gen- 

 erally grows to the height of thirty or forty 

 feet ; the flowers are white, and not remark- 

 able either for size or beauty : the wood is fine, 

 compact, and heavy, and very brilliant when 

 polished : it is naturally of a brown colour, 

 but it is generally died black for cabinet- 

 makers' use ; they employ it for inlaying 

 mahogany. Turners use it for making 

 screws, and for small boxes of superior finish 



